A Second Introduction to Madness
by mynameistank
Summary: The son of Thomas  my OC  has to repeat the actions that his father struggled to accomplish.
1. The return of a hero and a virus

It all started what was only eight years ago, it only feels like it happened a week ago. You could say I was only a kid, well I was. Back when I was only about eleven years of age, my mother went looking for me "Oli! Where are you?" I heard her calling out to me

"I'm over here" She ran over to me, "What's happening?"

She looked worried "Come with me, I need to get you somewhere safer than here" I ran with her

"Where are we going?" she held back for a while before replying

"The Ever-Free forest"

I got kinda scared "But you said to never go in there" She went in, I was too scared to be alone so I followed her into the Ever-Free forest, the place of my nightmares.

* * *

><p>My mother and I had been walking safely through the Ever-Free forest until a feral, or some kind of infected Manticore came across us, "Oli take this and hide" She handed me a trench knife that my father used when he apparently saved Equestria "I'll take care of this, now hide"<p>

I ran and slid underneath a few roots that grew out of the ground so I could see everything that was going on, my mother started to pretty much destroy the manticore, at least until its tail went right through her stomach "No!" I was tearing up, I ran over and began stabbing it and dodging when it threw an arm at me, I killed it, my first kill at eleven years of age. I ran over to my mother's body

"Oli, Oli" the tears were rolling down my face

"It'll be alright, I'm here mum" She brought her head closer to my face

"I'm not gonna make it...this poison...it's too strong" my tears were falling down to her face

"There has to be something I can do! I don't think I'll make it without a mum!" She shook her head

"Just do one thing for me Oli"

"What?" I asked sniffing and trying to wipe my tears away

"You're getting to be a big boy and I want to tell you one thing. Everything scary, they're like pictures in a book. You might feel them but they aren't real"

I choked back the tears "what?"

Her blood was running cold "Oli, you would make your father so proud. I love you Oli" were her dying words to me

"I love you too mum" I let all my tears out holding her close, a single thought ran through my mind _{__whose fault is it? Mine? Dad's?}_ It became quite clear _{That manticore, no all of them! Every last one of them}_ I walked over to the manticore and continued stabbing it violently until I passed from exhaustion. I had been living like an animal for about a month, but at least that life style kept me fed, my mother's death horrified me for weeks.

* * *

><p>I had my knife to my throat, just about to end it all, when I was interrupted by a Zebra "Zecora?" I don't even know how I knew her name.<p>

She replied to me "Come little one, this mustn't be fun. Please follow me, for I have things you need to see" I got up and shoved the trench knife in my pocket leaving my mothers body behind, it tore at my heart to do that.

* * *

><p>During my short time spent with Zecora she taught me all she knew about humans that my mother hadn't...the awful things we could do. After a week or so she said something unusual "Young Vasili I require a knife, to show you something that is not right" I gave her the trench knife and she cut me to explain to me that I was among a bloodline of people who have black blood and unnatural abilities "From your fathers words, this raises concern. Your abilities shouldn't bloom at this age, you suffer an eternal rage" for the rest of the day she escorted me back to the outskirts of Ponyville, she told me exactly where to go, I asked why she didn't come with me, she told me that she'd be attacked on sight<p>

"So I tell them you sent me?" she nodded then left to go home.

* * *

><p>So I did, upon reaching my destination I saw a large tree. Oh god the pain going though my head you would not believe. I knew I had never been there before but it looked so familiar. I walked up to it, the pain growing stronger, I knocked and a purple unicorn had answered, I told her that Zecora had sent me to which she replied "What? Zecora's safe, what has she told you?" Staring at her, she invited me in and sat me down "Now what is your name little guy?"<p>

I told her "I'm Vasili"

She introduced me to some of her friends, but one particular Pegasus got exited to me, she had rarely ever seen a human let alone got close enough to talk to one. The purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle had walked off and took the orange earth pony and blue Pegasus with her. The orange one looked back and said "...that little guy is related to..." the rest I couldn't make out. I saw the blue Pegasus look back and show both sympathy and some extent of love, or at least that's what I think it was. The yellow Pegasus who had been standing next to me had just stepped closer and rubbed up against me, I jumped a bit

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" She was very comforting to me after I told about my family, she showed me her pet rabbit Angel Bunny. _She was never ordering or bossy, in fact she was shy whenever she told someone to do something, but that's just who Fluttershy was_.

The yellow Pegasus had jumped back after noticing a black mark going down my arm, at first I didn't know what it was, the pink earth pony walked over to me and touched my new marking, that moment was the most horrifying moment that day, the very second she touched it things went black and a single light swung and I saw that pink pony pull out a scalpel and cut my arm around that mark and oh god the pain, that pain was there alright, then the light flicked off.

* * *

><p>Light retuned as she took her hoof of me, it was obvious that the yellow Pegasus saw I was in pain, the pain caused me to black out "Are you okay? Hello? Are you alive?" It was Twilight, she was calling for my response, I told her I was alive "yeah I'm alive"<p>

"Okay you were a bit touch and go there"

"What do you mean?"

"You were technically dead for several minutes" it was that blue Pegasus, she was called Rainbow Dash

"Dead? What? Then how am I alive?"

"We don't know we assume it was in your bloodline" _Twilight, what can I say about her. Smartest pony I knew, sure but she didn't know everything, let alone understand it_

"What do you mean my bloodline?"

"I have had enough of this shit" _That white unicorn, Rarity, scared me at first, I mean anything would after coming back to life_

"Rarity this ain't you, you never swear at a confused child" _Applejack would stand up for me to the end, no matter her opinion_

I was tired of all the arguing and scared of what was happening "Okay everyone shut the fuck up! I have recently died. I don't know what the fuck is happening to me, my mother died a few weeks ago, and I don't know what the fuck is going on" I started to breakdown and cry

Rainbow Dash, she put a hoof on my shoulder and that was the most sympathetic, maybe it was because I was young but I don't know why, but it was then which she almost completely understood me

"I am most sorry young child, I was just expecting you to be too much like your father" said an apologetic Rarity

"Rarity, he's too young to know that. What kind of person he was" Twilight was right I was too young

"Too young to know what?" I wondered for a week, but after that I gave up.

* * *

><p>After a few weeks I heard a message on the radio "<em>Code 3004, repeat this is a code 3004, get to an immediate evac site. If that is not possible: lock your doors, shut your windows and keep away from the assailants<em>" Twilight came to me after hearing this, she asked me to go get Rainbow Dash and tell her to get Applejack, so I did.

* * *

><p>"Rainbow Dash thank god I found you" I said after a few minutes of searching<p>

"Why what's wrong?"

"Twilight sent me to tell you to get Applejack"

"3004, am I right?" she asked as if she knew the answer

"I heard the radio say something like that"

"Ah crap. You got a weapon on you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What is it?"

"It's just a trench knife"

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Obviously, I've been training with it for a few years now" there were moans and screams approaching

"Damn it. Get back to Twilight I'll go get Applejack" I ran back for the library, I tripped and was surrounded in mere seconds. I had unsheathed the trench knife, in one second they pounced, I stabbed a couple of them and one of them got me on my back, I thought that would be the end of me.

Oh how wrong I was...I saw a white rabbit run up and attack the pony's rear leg, on its back I displayed that attacker some mercy, stabbing it right in the head. Pulling the knife out the blood went everywhere, a soft voice called my name, it was Fluttershy "Thank goodness I found you or who knows what would have happened to you" we ran to the library, there we met up with the other but someone was missing

"Rainbow Dash, where is she?"

Applejack came over to me "I'm sorry little guy, but when we came here she got lost and going out to look for her would just be a stupid thing ta do"

"I don't care, we need her here"

"It's a lost cause Vasili, can't y'all see that?"

"I'm going to look for her, whether you want me to or not" I don't know exactly what had just happened to me, but it was a good thing it did, I left the room,

"Is it me or did he just sound like you know who?" Twilight asked. Not knowing where I was going, I ran to Sweet Apple Acres

* * *

><p>"At least I'm dying for a noble cause" said Dash flying above the ground<p>

"No you're not" spoke some kind of infected pony jumping out of the bush

I suddenly had two large blades about ninety centimetres long each and shaped like kitchen knives. I stabbed the creature about to attack Rainbow Dash "Vasili what the hell are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Since when have I died on you Rainbow?" I said in a voice that wasn't quite my own

"That voice, where have I heard it before" Rainbow muttered to herself, the rest of the creatures pounced at me

"Not again" slashing at the creatures with my blades, those that didn't die crawled around me in a circle. They pounced again but before I could react my blades turned to smoke. A single bullet went through the attackers head

"Come on Vasili we got to go, now!" She made it to the library, but I didn't.

* * *

><p>Well not for six hours, here's what I heard what happened<p>

"Rainbow Dash where's Vasili?" asked a worried Twilight

"He was right behind me" she replied

"Rainbow Dash you know what will happen if we can't get him back"

"Twilight I swear, he was right behind me the whole time"

"Well then he should still be behind you then, shouldn't he?" she said rhetorically with anger

"Look Twilight I don't know what you want" said Dash hoping for forgivness

"I want Vasili"

"Ladies please, if he really is who we think he is then no matter what happens he will be alright"

Most of them agreed "Look Rarity, this may be true but we can't take that risk"


	2. A Nightmare

Now what happened to me? Well I was knocked out for about an hour. I awoke in a dark room, but then there was a light coming from a TV screen. What was on it was one of the worst sights, the same view I had of my mothers' death, on a loop repeating every time she died. I had to look away, I saw a swivel-chair and I sat down in it.

* * *

><p>Knocked out once again, I awoke to see a crazed Pinkie Pie "Wakey-wakey, you're just in time to see the show"<p>

My eyes were slowly opening "What are you doing Pinkie? What show, what do you mean?" She pulled a string and a curtain came apart to reveal the others strapped to all sorts of torture devises "I think I'm gonna be sick"

"Wait before you do, I made you a hat" made from the cutie marks of the other ponies, was a hat

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING PINKIE?"

She drew a scalpel and cut my legs "I want to watch you bleed of course, Vasili" She started licking the blood coming from my legs, with nowhere else to look I watched as the defenceless ponies were tortured with all kinds of devices some had blades and some had stretchers and whips

"Pinkie, this is sick"

"Oh really because this is turning me on"

"WHAT?" I asked disgusted by what I heard, the screams wouldn't stop

"How can you just sit there and let this happen to us Vasili?" Rarity screamed

"I'M STRAPPED TO A FUCKING CHAIR! THAT'S HOW!"

Applejack was the first to go "Pinkie stop. Applejack is already dead"

She came up from licking my bleeding legs "oh really, I thought she was going to be the last one to go, oh well four more left"

Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight followed "OUR FRIENDS ARE FUCKING DYING OVER THERE!"

I heard a voice repeat itself '_feel my pain_'

"Pinkie can you hear that"

"Oh silly I thought you would be used to the screams by now"

"NO! That voice saying: FEEL MY PAIN"

"Oh no, I can't sorry" Still as playful as ever, she just sat there licking my blood, my vision going black from the blood loss

"Rainbow Dash if I make it out of here I'll make her FUCKING PAY for what she's doing to us"

"Vasili that would be-" Rainbow Dash had finally gone cold, dead

"Last one gone now it's just us" She bandaged my legs up "Pinkie I NEVER WANT TO BE WITH YOU ESPECIALLY AFTER THIS!"

She started to cry but stopped to say "If you're not going to be with me there is only one thing you can do"

"WHAT? THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO! YOU CAN'T KILL ANYMORE OF MY FRIENDS YOU JUST KILLED THEM ALL! YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I shouted at her then spat on her

"No silly Vasili. Say goodnight" With that she brought her hind leg up to my face and knocked me out.

* * *

><p>"Why does that keep happening to me?"<p>

"FEEL MY PAIN"

"Who the FUCK are you?"

"I had the horses and you have me" I managed to stand up and as I turned around I noticed a body, not a pony but another human. It couldn't have been my mother it was more of a man shape, it drew twin knives

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" He came running fast, just as he was about to stab me I side stepped and tripped him, he went face first into the ground "Feel that pain bitch" as I went to look at his body it was gone, little did I know he was behind me tackling me to the ground, I was unarmed. Trying to push him back with my hand, a large spike came through my hand, it got him off me alright "How did I just do that" the figure started laughing as he spawned one in each hand and twice as large, mine had gone back into my body "AWW FUCK!" He came charging spinning the drill spikes coming out of his hand, the top of my wrists started to hurt, he was halfway to me and these large claws came out of the top-side of my arms "Don't tell me I'm some sort of alien predator" the figure slowed down, only a fraction.

I went running and slashed at him as I slid on my knees, I got up and stabbed his back, he had fallen down in my arms, he came closed to my ear and whispered "You passed"

"Vasili, I'm scared"

"Pinkie how can this scare you but seeing your friends be like an everyday occurrence?" The claws withdrew themselves. Pinkie still crazy knocked me out.

* * *

><p>"Back here again are we?" she tightened my straps<p>

"We're going to be together whether you want to or not"

"Pinkie I know you can't kill me. That's why you didn't strap me to a machine just this chair I'm in now and still you can't find the courage to kill me, go on do what you did last time cut my legs. But that's the best you can do to me, I must mean too much to you if you haven't killed me by now" She cut me over the pre-existing wounds "AHHHHHH FUCK!"

"What's all that black stuff on your leg?"

"It's my FUCKING BLOOD! What else could it be?"

"I dunno, oil?"

"Pinkie I know you, and forcing me to do something isn't what you would do."

"You know what is like a party only more special?"

I had hoped that there would be a sane answer "A surprise party?"I asked

"No silly, a wedding"

It took me a moment to realise but I was shocked "oh dear god, Pinkie please tell me you didn't"

"Oh but I did and I invited all our friends, and Gummy is your best man"

"YOU KILLED ALL OUR FRIENDS PINKIE HOW COULD THEY COME TO A WEDDING!" She pulled back a string and revealed a church altar. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had nailed the dead bodies of the rest to the seats and intestines hung like streamers "PINKIE THATS FUCKING DIGUSTING!"

"Oh you love my decorations, oh look everypony arrived and seeing as you're obviously not a hat person I remade it into a tie"

"PINKIE I'M SICK OF THIS I DON'T LOVE YOU AND NO AMOUNT OF DEATH CAN CHANGE THAT!"

"Our honeymoon will be spectacular Vasili and think of the children"

"PINKIE HOW MANY TIME DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? I CAN'T MARRY YOU I'M NOT EVEN OLD ENOUGH!"

"That's just nervous talk"

"PINKIE LOOK AROUND! TAKE A HARD FUCKING LOOK! WE'RE SURROUNDED BY CORPES! THIS ISN'T A WEDDING THIS IS JUST YOUR SICKENING FANTASY!"

"I'm so sorry" she started to tear up

"Pinkie you can set this right and you know what to do" She pulled a fifty calibre handgun out and shot me in the head, followed by shooting herself "PINKIE NOT THIS WAY" Things went black. Then they started to whiten up, I was back in Ponyville.


	3. Up and Reborn

"What? I thought I just died, was that a dream or not...I mean my legs are bleeding" I got up and moved to Twilights library. I knocked on the door and I was greeted by Rainbow Dash "Rainbow Dash I don't" before I could finish she leaned in to kiss me,

Twilight interrupted "Vasili. You're alive, thank Celestia"

"Twilight, I have something to tell you" and after I said that I told her what I had just experienced

* * *

><p>"Nightmare state"<p>

I tilted my head "Say what Twilight?"

She explained "You entered what is called Nightmare state, very few can enter it and even fewer can leave it."

Rainbow came up to me "So Vasili what is it like"

I had a grim look on my face then told her what happened "Rainbow Dash you should be glad you were not there to see it, I saw each and every one of you guys die right in front of me. Not for the faint of heart"

Applejack asked me "Tat bad huh?"

I nodded "Like you wouldn't believe Applejack"

Twilight once again interrupted "excuse me but I have some scientific questions for Vasili"

"Go on Twilight" I said nodding

She levitated a clipboard in front of her "Now from I have studied on it you would have ran into some troubling memories, correct?"

I nodded "Correct"

she scribbled something down "Now did you run into any strange things or people?"

I though back to what had happened "One, a man"

Twilight looked up and asked "Really? Who was it?"

I wasn't even sure myself "I don't know all he said was 'Feel my pain' and after I killed him he said 'you passed'"

Twilight who had the most vivid flashback replied with "Ok I know who this person is"

Rarity looked at Twilight "Him? I told you didn't I Twilight?"

I looked at her "Told her what Rarity"

She dismissively waved her hoof at me "Oh nothing Vasili but Twilight owes me twenty bits"

Rainbow was now on my other side "Who died last Vasili?"

I took a breath "Well Rainbow it was you, but it was you who suffered the worst, like I said be grateful you weren't there. It was hell. You wouldn't believe how scary, crazy Pinkie is"

She raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself with her hoof "Me? I'm always nice and sane"

"You seemed to have strong inner demons, Pinkie you were obsessed with me"

"Oh Yeah I bet you were crazy there too"

I shook my head "No. Sure I killed someone-"

"You didn't kill him" Twilight snapped.

"How do you know?" I got up from the seat

"If that's who we think it is you couldn't have killed him"

"Who do you think it is Twilight?"

"Vasili that's not important"

"It must be important if you said it may be a certain person"

"Vasili's right Twi"

"Applejack, think back"

"How far?" she asked

"About thirteen years or so"

"Okay"

"Now who meant a lot to you back then?"

"Applebloom"

"Not a pony"

"Him?" she asked not quite sure if they meant the same thing

"Yes, him"

"But I saw him"

"Applejack, stop that never happened"

"We all saw it" Rainbow spoke up

"She's right Twilight"

Twilight looked at her "Rainbow Dash stay out of this"

I fell to the ground clenching my arms around my head

"Vasili, are you okay?" Fluttershy came trotting over

"It's okay Fluttershy, just a minor headache"

"It didn't seem like a minor headache"

"Don't worry about me"

the voice _'Feel my pain'_ the radio _'code 3004'_ and my mothers screams, just kept going on inside my head looping every time. Blacking out I noticed a pale olive filly with a rose mane, but I started waking up

"Vasili thank goodness you're awake" Applejack helped me up

"I guess I'm getting used to blacking out, thanks AJ" I half laughed out

"What do ya mean getting used to it?"

"It's happening a lot more now and I noticed a pale filly before I blacked out"

"What colour was her mane?"

"I dunno I'd say some kind of rose, maybe brilliant rose"

"Applebloom!"

"Who?" I asked

"Applebloom, she's my sister. Do you know if she's alive?"

"What? How would I know?"

"Can't ya get some sort of psychic reading on her?"

"I could try that, what would she be doing if she was alive?"

"I dunno. She left with Big Macintosh"

"Maybe I could get a trace of her from a piece of clothing or maybe a loved belong"

"Sorry don't have one on me"

"We could go get one"

"We can't go outside it's too dangerous, a code 3004"

"what does that mean?"

"Either a great riot or worse an incurable infection"

I tilted my head "What you mean like zombies?"

She sighed "Saying that you remind me of your father"

I had zoned out "Who?"

"I can't tell y'all that"

"I'm getting sick of all these secrets Applejack"

"Well Ah'm sorry Vasili but it's for your safety and you know that"

"You're right, I'll go solo"

"What did you just say" I left but just before I did I grabbed my trench knife and an FN FAL "Vasili wait!"

* * *

><p>Again I wasn't there but this is what I heard happened<p>

"Twilight, Vasili just ran away"

"How could you let him do that?"

Applejack stuttered for a few seconds "Ah couldn't stop him, but at least he took some protection"

"Armour?"

"No, weapons"

"Well that's not any good to him, what if it gets knocked out of his hands"

Rarity butted in "What about earlier"

"Rarity we don't know if that's because he was in Nightmare State or if it's because it is him"

"Twilight how's he meant to help us if he's locked up"

"She's right Twilight"

Twilight started to panic "Girls if he dies out there we're are screwed!"

"Twilight the best thing we can do is shut the door so none of them things get in here"

"okay"

"Rainbow Dash board the doors up" Dash kinda panicked

"what then how's he supposed to get in?"

Twilight looked up at Dash "He'll find a way"


	4. In search of Applebloom

Now back to me. I was walking for about five minutes and I got surrounded by these 'special ponies' they seemed more aggressive than the previous infected ponies "Where would you like the bullets?" They pounced at me and in a split second five of them dropped "Next time I'll try and shoot you all" One of them got me, clawed my back pretty bad. I don't let shit like that go uncorrected, trench knife to the throat, it jumped back and its random growls started to sound like it was talking to me kind of like it was saying 'ready for round two?'

"What did you just say?" It knocked me out and as I expected I was back in Nightmare State.

I noticed a rose mane hanging over the swivel chair I walked over spun the chair and nothing was there not even the mane "Where the fuck did it go?" I turned around and sure enough there it was

"Hey is your name Applebloom?" She looked crazy and I could still only see half her face "Its okay I'm a friend of your sister. My name is Vasili" After I said that I saw the hate in her eyes, and she grabbed a knife and slashed at me, I jumped back

"Well fuck that's not gunna be good when I get back" I rubbed the newly made tear in my chest

"If you get back" she laughed

"Hey Applebloom, shut up!" I tried to bring back the hand drills "why won't these things ever come out when I need them"

"You won't need them if you're dead" speaking in her spirit crushing voice

"I said SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The spikes came out eventually "come and taste this you little bitch"

"Only if it's the blood of you" she licked her lips as she said that

One of my eyebrows rose "Why the FUCK does everyone want to taste my blood. I could understand Pinkie Pie wanting to do that, but you"

"Pinkie Pie?" she asked

"Yes, Pinkie" I nodded in the hopes of bringing some sanity back to her

"You killed her, you killed all my friends" she screamed at me

"Bullshit. And Pinkie killed my friends, even your sister"

"How do you think she got them?"

"You mean you knocked them out and gave them to Pinkie to torture?"

"That's right"

"YOU BITCH! You're responsible for your sisters' murder"

"So what?" it looked like she didn't even care

"So you deserve to fucking die, that's what!" She jumped on me, climbed over my shoulders stabbing a knife in my back

"Ha. I got y'all to bleed"

"Now I'll make you bleed" I picked her off my back and threw her at the wall, the knife still in I withdrew it and tossed it at her back right leg

"AHH FUCK, that's the last time I'm gonna try shit like that"

"Oww that hurt me, you big meanie" tears forming in her eyes

"It was meant to" I ran over to her and grabbed her bow in her hair, but she wasn't giving up without a fight,

She slashed at my legs "Take that"

"Okay, now you take this" I kicked her in the head pretty hard, it went into the wall a few inches. But even this wasn't enough to kill her

"Was that your best move?" she managed to laugh out

"No I have better" 'but I just can't get em to work' I mumbled

"Let me show you my attempts with this knife"

"What knife?" I looked and her hooves were empty

"The one in your leg" I looked down to find a knife in my right thigh

"AHHHH SHIT! You're good" I withdrew the knife and threw it at her, she turned around and kicked it back with both hind legs, it came back in my direction straight at my face. It stopped just before it hit my face, it seemed as if almost everything stopped, I moved my head to the side so I wouldn't hit the knife and strangely enough everything started moving again

"What ah was sure that would hit you"

"Well I guess you were wrong weren't you, and from the feeling in my arm you're gonna get screwed pretty soon" she came over and started punching me, catching every one I threw her hooves away and finally pushed her away

"Alright this fighting ain't gonna get y'all any deader"

"Well then why don't you back the fuck off"

"Never" the claws came out of my wrist as they did before and Applebloom came charging with several more knives

"No you don't you little bitch" I knocked the five knives she threw at me away

"What one of them was supposed to hit you" the claws retreated back into my wrists

"Oh no, no, no" she stabbed me with both of the knives she held onto

"Hey apple" I said with blood dripping out of my mouth

She wacked me with the metal of her horseshoe "My name is Applebloom"

"No it's Appleboom" Grabbing her and getting face to face I set off some body charges I had on me. Blowing me to the other side of the room, I saw Applebloom's body explode before me "AWW FUCK! I was meant to save something of hers" I pulled the knives out of my chest and pulled a bandage out of my pocket and wrapped it around myself, I passed out from blood loss and exhaustion "oh god that was painful to feel" I got up and noticed a door, I walked over to it, things felt heavier. I opened the door but everything was white, after I walked out a bit things started to become more visible.


	5. Newfound powers

I heard familiar voices say "What was that" It was Rainbow Dash

"It was probably nothing" Twilight's voice

"It might have been zombies" "Rainbow I told you to never call them that"

"Zombies, zombies, zombies, zombies"

I crept down the stairs making no noise at all, all the ponies arguing "Girls I'm back" they all stopped to look at me

"Vasili you're safe"

"Nothing a nightmare can do to me"

Rainbow was the first to mention "I wouldn't call that safe, I mean look at him, he's almost broken"

Next was Applejack "Vasili what's that there in your back pocket?" I felt back there and pulled out a hair tie "Applebloom, what happened to her?"

"Nothing"

"Tell me ta' truth Vasili"

"Honest to god I was in Nightmare State, but now we can track her, I mean if you still want her"

"Sure I want her back, but I don't want y'all to get hurt"

"We can all go"

"Ya might get hurt"

"Applejack, look at me. I don't think anything could hurt me more than what your sister just did to me"

"That wasn't Applebloom"

"Twilight help me out here"

"He's right if we all go Applebloom will have more of a chance of surviving"

"She's with Big Macintosh and that's all the protection she needs"

"Applejack, I know you think she's safe and if she can handle any weapon like she just did in Nightmare State she'd be okay"

"So you think she's fine"

"I never said that, all I said was she'd be okay. But that doesn't mean she'd be safe, and we're offering help. Now think does your little sister's safety mean that little to you?" She didn't have to think for long

She sighed before telling me "Okay, you win Vasili"

"Well why are we still standing here?"

"We haven't got any gear packed"

"All done"

"Thanks Rainbow" I slung a Mosin-Nagant around my back and walked to the door

I noticed it was a pony back-pack "You do know I can't wear that pack right?"

Twilight spoke "Rainbow go up to the part of the library where all the non-fiction books are"

"Which ones are they again?"

"The ones that are true" she explained to her

"Oh, right"

"Now I want you to pull, not push the big yellow one" She went up to bring down a bag that would fit me

"Twilight do you know how we can track Applebloom down?"

"Hope" she suggested

"We should do better than just hope"

"Unless you can track her with that bow of hers. Then that's all we can do" Applejack suggested that, now we have the tie

"I'm afraid I can't help you with the location of Applebloom, it's a bloodline thing so I can only walk you through what you're meant to do"

"What do you mean bloodline thing? You're magical"

"Yes, but that's magic not something supernatural"

"What so I am like a vampire or werewolf?"

"In short no, in long yes. But you're definitely not a zombie"

"What is that supposed to mean 'in long yes'"

"Give me that bow"

"Here"

"Now I want you to think heavily on Applebloom"

"Okay"

"Now focus on where she is"

"I can't find her"

"Focus"

"I think she's in Canterlot"

"Make sure she is"

"Well how am I supposed to know?"

"You have a rare gift. Nopony can do this, not even Celestia herself"

"What about Luna?"

Twi shook her head "No not even her, even if Celestia was helping"

"Okay" I spoke trying to make Twi get off my back

"Now focus"

"I got her, I can see her"

"Good now where is she"

"From the looks of it Canterlot"

"Are you sure"

"Ninety nine percent"

"That will have to do" she up at the others

"Let's go"

"Rainbow where is the bag I asked you to get" I asked

"Here" she handed it to me

"If you don't mind me asking what else did you find?"

"Don't worry"

"You were gone for five minutes"

"Fine, I found useless weapons that brought back unhappy memories" she was struggling to hold back her tears

"Do you mind if I ask what about?"

"Scootaloo" I saw Rainbow Dash really cry for the first time that time

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset"

"No, I just remembered how she died"

"I won't ask how"

"That would be best, oh here is your bag" she said wiping her tears

"Thanks, and Rarity don't you have a sister?"

"Sweetie Belle?" she turned to me

"Yeah her, how come I never seen her"

"Last time I talked to her she was with. Oh no she's with Applebloom"

"Well I guess we better go double time" we rushed out the door


	6. Into Canterlot we travel

We all left for Canterlot on foot, it took about three days. Between the time we left and the time we arrived this is what happened

"So Twilight I never knew you were friends with Celestia"

"Well I wouldn't say friends, she's more of my teacher"

"But still you're friends of some kind right?"

"Sure you could say that"

"I hate to interrupt but you got deadly infected at three o'clock"

"I don't see anything"

"Forty five high"

"I see em" pulling my Mosin-Nagant off my back I shot the infected Pegasi from they sky

"That there contraption is awful loud"

"Well I guess it is, but let's keep moving. Who knows what is happening to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle"

"Well you kinda do"

"Well we can't find them if we're just standing here can we?" We kept up the pace, we ran into what we thought was just a regular manticore

"Fluttershy do your thing"

"Wait Fluttershy" She stopped walking, I raised my gun to its head and I aimed at its head. It pounced, within a split second I had pulled the trigger

"You girls didn't need to see that"

"I am angry Vasili"

"Really Fluttershy, you're mad I killed an infected manticore?"

"How do you know it was infected" I dropped my gun and bag on the ground and walked over to the manticore it tried to bite me, it didn't, bringing that knife down to it's throat was one of the worst sight Fluttershy had seen me do

"See I was right, an uninfected one would have just died"

"Come on guys we need to find Applebloom and Sweetie Belle"

"Agreed" it got dark, not taking any risks we slept in trees.

"Girls, get up we need to get moving"

"Vasili do you even know what time it is"

"Six o'clock exact, well according to my watch"

"we need our beauty sleep"

"And your sister needs her arse saved"

"Alright, we'll get up in a few minutes"

"Unless a few minutes is right now you're going to get left behind"

"Fine" She got out of the tree

"Oh and Rarity we're leaving in thirty seconds so we don't get spotted by 'Royals' they are annoying to kill"

"What are Royals?"

"Everyone your coffee is over there"

"I am curious what these Royals are"

"Well Twilight if we don't move out in the next twenty seconds you'll find out. The bad way" We left with three seconds to spare "They are almost here. Ten seconds left, that's it we're out"

"Should we run Vasili?"

"No. OF COURSE WE'D BLOODY RUN, I've complained about these things for a while"

"What do they look like?"

"Well as their name suggest, they have crown shaped heads" I had my head turned behind us so I could see if they got closer

"well do they look like that?" I had turned around to see three Royals blocking the mountain we were to climb if we were to get to Canterlot

"Oh shit, you girls may want to hide I'll take em on"

"they're three times your size"

"I know that, just go I'll come get you"

They left me and hid "now it's just us" I noticed a shiny object over the other side of the Royals "I need that" The more dominant Royal stood in front of me and screamed a random babble of vowels and constantans at me "I have no idea what you are saying but you need to die. You piece of shit" the Royal screamed at me again, but this time a whisper in my head told me what it was saying _"You filthy human will die as you stand"_ the shiny object disappeared and as I walked back I tripped over twin katanas, I got up and pulled them out of the ground. The dominant Royal came charging at me, I kneeled down and put the swords forward and it ran straight into them killing itself on impact "it may be the strongest one but it sure is the stupidest" the other two Royals became angry. The shiny object was there again. I grabbed it as I slid under the right Royal. It was an ice-pick, I climbed onto the Royal and shoved the pick under where its crown is, ripping its head open I noticed a heart beating I pulled out the trench knife and cut the main artery, it fell and died "two down one to go" I jumped across from the falling Royal onto the other one, I pulled out my Mosin-Nagant and shot behind its crown "now because you have done nothing wrong to me I'll make this quick and painless, for both of us" with that I shot it again, killing it "Girls come on those fillies won't save themselves" the ponies came out from hiding

"Couldn't you have killed them any neater?"

"No Rarity I couldn't. Now how are we supposed to climb this mountain?"

"Fly"

"Rainbow Dash in case you haven't noticed only you and Fluttershy have wings"

"Oh, right"

"I did find this ice-pick which could make holes big enough for a hoof"

"What about you? You don't have hooves"

"No but I did rock climb a lot as a child"

"Well I guess that will do"

"Now who's taking the ice-pick?"

Twilight stepped forward "I will"

"Well Twilight you know you're not that athletic or balanced"

"Fine give it to Applejack"

"Okay"

"See you girls at the top"

"We sure hope so" With that said I started climbing the mountain, it was about five minutes until I lost sight of the girls, but as promised we met at the top of the mountain

"Hey Vasili, over here"

"Hey Rainbow Dash where are the rest of the girls?"

"They're still climbing" Twilight finally got to the top

"I see you made it in one piece" I said to Twi

"And you too, Canterlot is just that way"

"Right now the quicker we find my little sister the quicker y'all can stop worrying bout me"

"Right have I still got all my stuff? Rifle, Check. Bag, Check. Yep that's everything"

"Vasili how can that be all you brought?"

"Because Rarity I don't bring anything unnecessary"

"Taking a hairdryer never hurt anypony"

"Come on your sister is in there too, so let's move" We went into Canterlot first we went to see Celestia but I was stopped by royal guards.


	7. A Challenger appears

"Creature, you may not pass" Twilight walked out from behind me and told them who she was "You still cannot see the princess" Rainbow Dash flew over and whispered to them who I was "You may pass but only if you surrender all items"

My feet scratched against the concrete "Never."

"Then you may not pass" he informed us

"Well I'm sure there would be some exception, right?" I asked looking for some hope

"NO!" he shouted

"Then why do you have so many armed guards?" it just didn't seem logical to have this many if everyone is unarmed

"You may enter but surrender your rifle"

"Well, well look who's making demands" I said a _little_ full of myself

He snatched my rifle from my back "You may collect it when you leave"

"Fine" the doors opened and the ponies walked through, I was given a dirty look from one of the two guards at the front, I walked through and a wrist blade came up through the long sleeves of my shirt.

"He has a weapon" he called hoping the rest would stop me and take it off me

The other one replied "you'll have to let that one go"

* * *

><p>We walked to where Celestia was meant to be but instead we found a blue unicorn "Trixie?"<p>

"No, Trixie was my grandmother. I am Trixina who is truly great and powerful"

"Who is this?" I asked checking whether I should know who she is

"Well Vasili you see, your father was a powerful man, and she is a descendant of a powerful force"

"But I heard Trixie was weak, just show magic"

"She was at first" replied Twi

"Shut up and I will demonstrate my power" with that she pushed me into a wall with her magic

"Fifty centimetres, nice. For someone who's weak"

"How dare you insult my pure power!"

"Oh but mine is much more worse than yours" I said, now that I think about it I don't know WHY I said that

"Nopony is more powerful than me" I crawled out of the wall and as she tried to throw another spell at me I turned into some kind of black smoke "How could it be he died"

I looked behind myself to find a V shaped marking in the wall "well, well who's got power now?"

"I will crush you, for I am Trixina"

"And I am Vasili Belinski, insert shit to be given here" she struck at me again, missing it made another V shape in to wall "what is so special about the letter V?" She struck another spell this time it was a lightning one, it went into my hand "okay were did that just go?"

"Maybe twelve thousand volts will fix that"

"No, that'll kill me"

Her face went straight and slightly mental "that's the point of it" she charged another spell at me stopping it, hands shaped like a T, closing in together making a V shape. The spell started to return back to Trixina "I shall crush the last human"

"No. You. _FUCKING_. Won't" These large black angel wings make of some kind of smoke came out of my back, ripping through my shirt

"It can't be he had no wife, no children. How could he have a descendant?" the large wing aimed back at Trixina along with her spell knocking her back into a wall, I walked over wrist-blade drawn at her head, holding her up with one hand

"Vasili, don't"

"She's not worth it" I hit her with the bottom of my hand

"Vasili we said not to kill her" I withdrew the blade to reveal it had no blood on it

"See? She's just unconscious"

"Well thank Celestia everything turned out alright"

"Right now let's leave so we can find those little fillies. They're not here so seems we better go home and look again" we were leaving but were stopped at the door

"Where's my rifle?"

"I am here to inform you that you will now be taken prisoner and you'll be lucky if we don't kill you"

I saw my rifle being treated poorly "You're gonna fucking pay for treating her like _that_"

He asked "Who?"

"My rifle" I couldn't stand for this, I slid on one foot tripping the royal guard and getting my rifle back "Now if any of you even flex a muscle I'll shoot all of you in one go" Rainbow Dash assured them that I could "now if you'll let us leave" they closed in on us "girls get ready" I fired three shots into the air "girls run" one of the guards caught me, threw me in prison.

* * *

><p>"Prisoner #30-04 get up, the princess requests to see you"<p>

"Don't fucking call me that"

"Prisoner #30-04 get up, or you can be executed"

"I'll take the second one" I laughed

"No you won't" turns out they needed me, for what I had no idea

"Princess this is the one you requested"

"So this is prisoner #30-04?"

"Don't you fucking call me that" he knocked me onto my knees

"How dare you use that language to Princess Celestia"

"Well #30-04 what is your name?"

"I don't have to tell you"

"Tell the princess your name or you can be executed"

"Like I said before I'll take the second one"

"No you won't"

"Those tags around his neck may tell us" the guard ripped the dog tags off my neck

"It says here his name is Vasili Belinski"

"Belinski, where have I heard this name"

"Princess, would you like me to look in the archive?"

"Yes and bring back anything that rhymes with that name" he brought the files to her

"Here we are Belinski"

"Dear god, can I have a seat"

"No"

"Well you may have me chained up but there is no need to be rude just because you're a guard"

"Vasili Belinski"

"Yes?"

"Are you of any relation to" I couldn't quite hear that last part. But when she said it that continuing pain was back. I had blacked out and was assumed dead.


	8. The Continuation

"It's Vasili, he's waking up" It was Twilight

"Ya had us scared" said Applejack

"How did I get down here?" I asked pulling myself up

"We think they threw you"

"Where is she?"

Applejack asked "Who? Your rifle? It's over there"

"Is it in good condition?"

"We think, it's only got a couple of scratches in it"

"Well I guess that's okay, but still not good"

"We lost your bag, though"

"But I'd be happy to make a new one"

"Thank you Rarity, but-"

"No buts" she cut me off

"Actually this is important"

"Well then what is it?"

"The bag I had earlier had all my money in it"

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Twi

"Some SnG work"

"SnG?"

"Snatch and Grab"

"Oh so you want that bag back because of its money"

"That and it has the ammo to this rifle"

"We could make more"

"Last time I checked magic couldn't and I don't know how to make bullets"

"I may have a book on it" said Twilight

"No time, but I did see where they put it"

"Girls can we stop asking questions and get up the hill before they move it again" argued Dash

"Thanks Rainbow"

"Just doing my part for you" I was a little blown back when I heard 'for you' out of Rainbow's mouth

"Anyway let's go put this gun back and make a plan"

* * *

><p>We <em>did<em> go put the gun back, but we forgot to make a plan

"Well shit"

"What?"

"We never made a plan, and I am one of very few humans in equestria so how am I supposed to get inside?"

"Well I do know an invisibility spell"

"Great"

"But it's only temporary"

"How long does it last?"

"It varies"

"Damn it, you girls will need to get in the front gate now I brought these robes, maybe you could get in by pretending to be something like monks. You girls look for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle"

"How will you get in?"

"My specialty" I said so sure of myself

"What's that?"

"Climbing"

"I thought you were great at most things"

"If only that were true Rainbow Dash, but if it was we wouldn't be doing this"

The girls tried to get in wearing their robes, I started to turn invisible

"Great timing Twilight" I ran up to a wall jumped and kept running up it for the two minutes it took "I'm in, now where's that bag" I had looked around for the bag, my invisibility was wearing off, and a guard was approaching me "Crap" as he walked pass I knocked him out "say goodnight" I ran to where the bag was "got it"

"We knew you'd come back for it, guards seize him"

"Not this time" the guards had me at spear point and surrounded, jumping back and crushing the spears with my feet "surprise, bitch" stepping on one of the guards heads I jumped over them "Twilight we have the secured the bag, we are out"

"Vasili the doors are shut, my magic is useless against it and a bomb has been armed" Twi called out

"Shit, I guess I'll have to open the doors, Rainbow Dash keep an eye on the timer" I started pushing the doors open

"Twenty seconds left Vasili"

"Come on you girls can fit through this"

"Ten seconds left"

"Come on Rainbow Dash leave now"

"Not without you"

"I'll be fine" I grabbed her and ran for the small crack in the doors and threw her though

"Zero seconds" whispered Dash bracing for some kind of impact

"Vasili!" they screamed in unison. I went to jump but ended up diving, the bomb blew the doors apart

"Vasili-" Pinkie spoke

"I don't need medical attention just yet, my bag has bandages" I really knew I did need some medical help

"You look like you need some" said the possibly obsessed Rainbow Dash

"Rainbow Dash I'm fine" I told her bearing the pain

"Well I don't think you should climb like that" Twi told me looking me up and down

"Twilight 'I'm fine"

"I could fly you down with Fluttershy" Dashie suggested

"I guess if that's the only option I have" I _was_ defeated

"I don't think I'd be able to carry you, I'm so sorry"

A thought passed through my mind "Fluttershy that's not your fault, I've always wonder what it's like to skydive" I grinned

"It's great fun but we'll wait until you're in better condition" Dash said in effort to raise my mood

With that I ran off the cliff and turned around in mid-air "see you girls at the bottom"

"He's gonna kill himself" Screamed Rainbow

"Well Rainbow Dash I guess you better go get him" suggested Rarity

I landed in water with a splash

"What was that splash?"

"It sounded like water"

* * *

><p>By the time the girls got down to me I had dried off "How could you girls forget that there was a river here?"<p>

"I don't know" replied Applejack

"And Twilight you lived not that far from here"

"I guess I forgot after the fourteen years ago I lived here" she snapped

"Oh, sorry" realising my rudeness

"How are you dry?" she asked

"Towel in the bag, and surprisingly it's water resistant" we ran back to Twilight's library

"Oww that hurts" I yelped as Fluttershy brushed past me, accidently rubbing a cut on my leg

"Looks like you need medical attention, Fluttershy help him out"

"I've only ever worked on animals, never human"

Dash asked "But can't you apply the same principles to a human, and that one time you worked on Thomas"

"Rainbow that may hurt him, besides these are two different areas"

Tired of the arguing I spoke up "Girls I don't really care if it hurts just as long as it stops to bleeding" oh boy did it hurt, I had to be knocked out

* * *

><p>"He's waking up" said the farm pony<p>

"How did it go?" asked a certain paranoid Pegasus

"We'll have to ask him when he's fully up" Twi responded

"For once I was knocked out and didn't go into Nightmare State" I chuckled with a tone of serious

"Interesting" she noted

"I also take it you couldn't find Applebloom"

"No. She was nowhere do be found"

"I guess I could try to track her again, for you" I told her

"No. You need your rest" said Twilight

"Twilight do I sense a lack of faith"

"No but you just woke up from surgery"

"So?" 'Why would I need rest' I thought

"You're not strong enough"

"She's right Vasili, but you know I mean if you still want to try"

"No not anymore, wake me in two hours when you have her hair bow"

* * *

><p>They woke me up in three hours "Why the extra hour?"<p>

Applejack responded "So you won't get exhausted" I simply shrugged at the thought of it

"Sounds fair but I didn't need it"

"Here's her bow" I took the bow from her

I sat down and started to get a connection "Now, you may want to get back"

"where is my lil' sis?" asked AJ looking at me then the bow then back to me

"I just started, and please be patent I'm not magical"

"You kinda are" she claimed

"According to Twilight I'm not magical"

"Then what does she call you?"AJ asked

"Supernatural"

"Ain't' they the same thing?"

"Do you want your sister?" I asked irritated by her

"Sorry"

"It's okay just let me concentrate" I did just that "I got a Crimson work horse"

"What other things can you see on him?"

"A cutie mark of half an apple, is he a relative of yours?"

"That's Big Macintosh"

I just nodded, not wanting to break my focus "I think he's looking for someone maybe two. Who was with him?"

"Let's see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle"

"He might have lost them"

"Why that colt when I get a hold of him"

"Easy AJ"

"Well where is he?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Twilight, get me an atlas"

"Here" she said handing it to me

"The wide world of Equestria" I kept reading through it "I can't find this place"

"What's it look like sugarcube?"

"Country, dust and a few apple trees"

"That's Appleloosa"

"You know this place how?" I asked with interest

"My cousin Braeburn lives there"

"Oh I see. You have family there" things came together in my head

"Weren't there buffalo there last time" Twilight asked

"I sure hope little stongheart made it out well Twi"

I raised my head "so girls?"

"What Vasili?"

"You up for a second trip, and I am curious to see how an isolated place did in a code #30-04"

She spoke in a grim tone "Most likely not well"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are we gonna pack?" Rarity called out

"Vasili?"

"Yes Rarity?"

"Are you going to stay in those clothes this whole time?"

"Well seeing as these are my only clothes, yes"

"Oh darling you simply must have something new"

"Okay but it needs to be good" I said smiling, thinking practicality over appearance

* * *

><p>Rarity and I left for her clothing store, as she made me more clothes "There how's that?"<p>

"I can't move very much" I said showing her my restricted movement

"Oh, I'll fix that"

"Yeah and the fact that this is a suit"

"Well you may want it for a meeting with somepony important"

"With who?" I asked standing in a position so she could do what she needed to

She concentrated as she loosened the sleeves "The princess"

"Celestia? She tried to have me killed"

"No I meant Luna"

"Oh that's right we have two, I forgot"

"Well now you know" she said as I changed into my old clothes

I kinda lost faith in Rarity at that moment "Do you know how to make combat gear?" I asked

"Only a few bits and pieces, your parents only showed me so little"

"Can you show me what you know?" she moved over to a drawer and withdrew a small book and handed it to me "Wow! Can you make one of these?" I genuinely liked it the most

"I certainly can, in fact that one is my specialty out of all of those"


	9. Aaaaaappleloosa

I walked back in my combat gear and the suit in the back pack "Vasili where you and where did you get those clothes?" asked Rainbow Dash

"Rarity made them for me. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno it makes you look cute" she said blushing

"Rainbow Dash can I speak with you?" asked Twilight

She nodded "Sure Twilight"

"Are you hitting on Vasili?"

"What no, of course not, he's a human and I'm a Pegasus, it'd never work so why bother"

"Okay but it just seemed that you were"

"Well I'm not"

"Hey you girls gonna get a move on or what?" I asked after noticing that their conversation ended

"Right, we'll leave in three minutes" said Pinkie, who seemed quite keen for the trip

"I could do it now but not everypony's here, so I'll go get Rarity"

* * *

><p>I got to her home just as some infected were breaking in "Oh no, they may have got her"<p>

"Help me!"

"Good she's alive, let's see how good this gear is" I got inside but forgot something important "SHIT! I forgot my gun, looks like I'll have to use this knife" one infected crept behind me "I can hear you" just as it pounced I had spun around sticking the knife into its stomach "Rarity, where are you?"

"I'm in here"

"That's not very helpful"

"In the bedroom" I ran for her room taking out the last of the infected by driving the blade up through the neck "Vasili"

"Rarity grab what you need. Emphasis on 'need' in that sentence"

She tilted her head "Why the rush?"

"We need to get to the train station double-time because they're not going to wait for us" she packed her stuff and I heard a train whistle go off

"Shit, we're going to have to jump"

"Jump where?"

"Out the window" I pointed out to Rarity

"Don't be stupid Vasili, neither of us will survive" with that I picked her up and jumped out the window landing on a few pieces of shattered glass

"Ouch, run!" I said letting go of her

"What about you?" Asked Rarity

"I'll make it to the train in time" she started running for the train and I picked myself up and dusted myself off

"That train better be boarding now, for Applebloom's sake" I kept running for the train station "Rarity keep running"

"My hooves are getting sore"

"Just keep running!" I yelled

Twilight saw that we were running and yelled "Vasili, you'll have to get in through the back door"

"Okay open it up and Rarity just keep running"

"You need to keep up Vasili" Twilight shouted from the carriage

"I'll make it, just keep running for the train" Rarity made it into the train, I never got to

"Vasili, infected coming up fast behind you" Twilight didn't lie, they had to hold Rainbow Dash back to stop herself from getting killed or infected

"Chuck me the rifle and the bag"

"Where did we put it?"

"Under the seat" AJ said, as she then tossed it out the window

"Got it" I got the rifle and bag just in time and turned around just in time to shoot the infected ponies

"Great work, now hurry up before you're left behind"

"Right" I slung the bag around my back and started running after the train

"Vasili hurry up, we're losing you"

I reached into my bag for the now razor sharp ice-pick and ran as fast as I could to the train and lunged at it sticking the pick right through the wood in the platform in the back carriage. Pulling myself up I noticed that the door would no longer open "girls can you try and open this back door for me?"

Applejack came over and bucked it but still couldn't open the door "Sorry Vasili you're gonna have to sleep under the stars tonight"

"Okay I guess I'll stay watch and shoot any infected come charging"

"No, you need your rest"

"What about if I-"

AJ shook her head at me "No. You need rest after what you just did there"

"Fine, you win" by the time we got to Appleloosa I was deep asleep

* * *

><p>"Vasili, wake up. VASILI!" said somepony with their head hovering over me<p>

"What do you want Applejack?"

"First mah sister, but you ta wake up since we're here"

"Where?" I asked as my eyes adjusted to the brightness

"Appleloosa" it was a strange looking colt

"Vasili this is Braeburn, Braeburn this is Vasili"

"You remind me of someone little guy" he said looking me up and down

"You're not the first person to say that" I said rubbing my eyes

"Well let's find Applebloom"

"Okay let me just get my bag and rifle"

"What's a rifle?"

"A devise that allows me to pick off enemies from a distance"

"Are you sure he's that age you said he is?"

"Well he is _who_ ah said he is" jumping down from the back of the train withdrawing the ice-pick from the wood I suggested that we search for Applebloom

"Applebloom is at the vacant hotel but even Big Macintosh is too afraid to enter"

"So where is he now?" asked AJ

"He thought he lost dignity so he's out in the wastelands fighting what seems to be infected buffalo"

"Is he alone?" she asked

Braeburn replied happily "Yes he is cousin"

"How could you let him do something so stupid?"

I put my hand in front of Applejack "easy Applejack I'm sure he offered help, right?" looking at him for a positive response

"Well...you see...those things are scary"

"So what I'm eleven and I'm going face to face with Royals"

"What are 'Royals'?"

"Take a buffalo times its strength by four, its intelligence times that by two, and I am not exaggerating"

"Well you are a human" he said looking at me

"So what you are a horse and one who looks like he could take maybe twenty three zombies on and then get exhausted. So if you're not going to help Big Macintosh, where is he? Because I will not wimp out"

"Like I said he's taking on buffalo in the wastelands" he told us

"Well, Applejack you coming? I mean I he is your brother" I asked looking back at her

"Count me in Vasili" she nodded. So Applejack and I started to make our way out towards to the wasteland

"By the way, Vasili" he asked

"Yes Braeburn?" I asked looking back at him

"What is your last name?" I was slightly puzzled by what he asked, why was my last name important?

"My last name is Belinski. Why?" Blown back by my response he didn't reply.

* * *

><p>We went looking for Big Macintosh "Keep on your toes Vasili, these buffalo are powerful" she said with a hint of anger in her voice<p>

"So, no survivors?" I grinned

"Ah never said anything like that"

"But you implied it" I nodded towards her

"That doesn't mean I said it" she said getting angry at me

"Well it partially does"

"Look these buffalo made it very hard for meh at one point in life"

"So why can't you let it go?"

"I don't know why and you weren't there"

"True, I bet I wasn't born then though"

"Well ah hate to be rude but are we gonna look for mah big brother?" We kept looking around until we ran into a small animal "Little Strongheart you made it out okay"

"AJ, you know her?" I asked lowering my rifle

"Sure ah do"

"Applejack is that you?"

"It sure as sugar is, it's great to see you I can see you matured quite a bit"

"But you, you look at young as you did fifteen years ago"

"You know magic is a wonder"

"Um, hello" I said awkwardly

"Who are you? What are you?" Little Strongheart asked

"I am offended"

"Offended? That sounds strange for a name"

"No what he means is that he saw that comment as just a tad rude"

"Oh, right" she said realising her rudeness

I swished my hair so I could see through the gaps in my hair that hung over my face "But anyway I am a human"

"A human I haven't heard that there was another human there, Applejack why didn't you tell me"

"Ah guess it slipped mah mind"

"But anyway my name is Vasili Belinski" I extended my hand to her

"So Applejack this is the Belinski you told me so much about"

"No that was a different one"

"What was his name again? It started with a T didn't it?"

Applejack was getting quite uncomfortable talking about my father, or at least that who I think they meant "How's your chief?"

"He was bitten by one of the settler ponies twelve years ago"

"Don't you mean thirteen years ago?"

"No it was twelve" Little Strongheart shook her head sure of herself

"Problem, Applejack?" I asked her bending forward looking at her face

AJ shook her head at me "Nah it ain't nothing but a mishap" she said

"It would be bigger than a mishap if you're reacting this way" I told her, I looked at the buffalo "Come on Little Strongheart, was it?"

"Yes" she nodded

"Come on we'll get you back to Braeburn in one piece?"

She took a step backwards "Braeburn, you're with that prick?"

"Only temporarily, and more of just staying with him" I argued my side of it

"I don't think I can trust you anymore" she said taking more steps back

"Listen! You aren't the only one that has to put their lives in the hands...well hooves...of strangers. So stay here and die or come with me and Applejack and live"

She kicked the dirt then looked up at me "Live" she said

"Nice choice" I said

Applejack reminded us "We gotta find Big Macintosh"

Little Strongheart nodded "alright fine, but I am not gonna let him live if he is infected. Do we have a deal?"

I told her "Deal" I looked at AJ "great now after this we're gonna get your sister right?"

"Right"

"Now let's go get us a work horse" we searched for a few minutes until I saw some dust move in an unnatural way "Hold up"

"What is it Vasili?" AJ asked

"I don't know exactly" I said looking for any movement in the sand

Little Strongheart told me "Some strange creatures have been around here killing off locals in ways we haven't seen before"

"That sounds like a Royal" I said paying more attention to the ground

"What's a 'Royal'?" the buffalo asked me

"Worse than a pissed off buffalo"

"We try to stay as calm as possible" Just as she said that three desert Royals pulled themselves out of the sand, they were about half the size of Little Strongheart "those are scary" she laughed sarcastically at me

"Please the grown ups are three times the size of me" I said pointing out my 5'10'' figure

Applejack looked up at me and asked "How many were there when you fought those ones in the forest?"

"Three, but if my guess is right then we are really screwed"

"What are you guessing?" Little Strongheart asked me

"That these ones are fully grown but travel in larger packs"

"How many do you think there would be in a pack?"

"Probably twenty or worse one hundred" I said

"That's a lot of Royals" Little Strongheart said belittling me

I managed to kill the first three no problem "That wasn't so hard looking I guess you were wrong" said AJ as she walked up to me.

The ground shook hard, I fell down and couldn't stand up "no, Applejack I was right" I told her as I grinned

"Why are you grinning?" she asked

"Run" I ordered them as all the fun drained from my body and was replaced by seriousness

"What did you just say?"

"I said run!" They started running, as soon as they got to a safe distance at least thirty desert Royals ripped out of the sand and started to pounce at me "No you don't" I pulled out a machete and started slicing at them hacking their limbs off, but one was a lucky bastard, it tore a small sized hole in my body "Fuck! Better get to the AJ and Little Strongheart" with that I covered the bleeding hole with bandage and started running to them, I found them

"Vasili you'll never guess who we found"

"Big Macintosh?" I asked

"How'd y'all know who it was?" said the dumbstruck orange pony

"Because we went looking for him"

"Oh right, ah forgot you knew" an embarrassed AJ said

This crimson work horse walked over to me "So you're the guy my little sister has been talking about"

"He sure is" she said with great pride

"Big Macintosh is my name but you can call me Big Mac"

I shook my head at the though "I think I pass on that, come on we have to get back to Braeburn"

"Why the rush?" asked Big Macintosh

"The fact that it's dark and we are fucked if _I_ can't see anything"

Big Macintosh leaned over to AJ "He does swear, you still sure you want our little sister around him?"

"Ah have faith in him Big Macintosh, you'll see" AJ told him almost as if she knew how everything would play out

* * *

><p>We got back just in time for dinner "what have you got prepared for dinner?"<p>

"Apples and I'm afraid that's all we got, other than salt"

"Well I guess it's a good thing I brought some supplies"

Applejack looked at me "what did y'all put in that bag?"

"Meat, matches and some fruits" I said fumbling through my bag

"Well I guess I could prepare the meat, but without fire I can't cook it"

"Hence the matches"

We all ate the meat "That meat was delicious, what was it?" asked the classy Rarity

"Pony meat" I replied flatly

Everypony was shocked and spat it out at me until I started laughing "why are you laughing we just ate another pony"

I started controlling my laughter "I was kidding you should see the look on your faces"

"Well then, what meat was it?"

"Some of it was from a Royal and the rest was pork"

"Oh thank Celestia, and Vasili that wasn't funny"

"I know but who ever ate the Royal meat may have some side effects, but I don't know who ate it"

Braeburn threw up all over the ground "ewww" Rarity squealed

"Get over it Rarity and mystery solved and I don't think that throwing up counts as a side effect" he started bleeding from his hooves "girls get behind Big Macintosh" I was worried about what would happen

"I want to get behind you" said Rainbow

"Rainbow Dash we can't argue now, so do as I said" I gritted my teeth at her

"Fine" she went behind Big Macintosh

Keeping my cool I told him "Now Braeburn if you feel a strong pain going down your back just tell me"

He began to arch his back upwards "Arrggh, it hurts" he screamed in pain which sounded immense

"Fuck! This is worse than I expected" I was starting to panic

He spoke in a growly voice "I shall feast on your flesh, mortal"

"Fuck worse than I thought" My eye constantly switching looking at Braeburn and looking at the girls with Mac

Braeburns' coat had turned black, whatever he became turned around and pounced on me "I will dine like a king"

I struggled holding his mouth just out of reach of my chest "Girls follow Big Macintosh to the train" after pushing this infected Braeburn off me he pounced at the girls, I withdrew my machete and stuck it into his back just as he was about to bite Rainbow Dash, I flung him off the machete hard onto the wall "I'm not finished with you yet"

"You will fall along with all your ancestors for you are a weak race"

"Oh now shit's gonna get real" he came pouncing at me once again shoving the machete through his chest with the impact of his pounce "is that the only attack you have? Because it's weak"

"No, in fact I will use my tail" I saw that his tail had grown three razor sharp blades

"Oh you _have_ to be fucking kidding me" I said looking up for some hope

"And you will die a slow and painful death"

"No I won't" I had kicked him off the machetes' tip "why won't you just die?"

"I am not as weak as a human"

"That's it! You pissed me off enough already" I had raised the machete and noticed his tail moved, bringing the machete down he got up and knocked me down on my back

"Now I will rid Equestria of the human parasite" holding him back by his throat I said

"You forgot something"

"What?"

At that moment the wrist blade had come out, dragging it across and out of him. I stood up and sheathed the wrist blade "That's what you forgot arsehole" I pulled myself up and started running to the train station I met up with Big Macintosh

* * *

><p>I ran up to Big Mac "Hey, where are the girls?"<p>

"They're inside that building behind me" he nodded backwards

"Why?" I asked

"There could be infected around"

"Well I came here to find your sister"

"She's in the building behind me"

"No, I meant Applebloom"

"Do you even know where she is?"

"I was told she was in the hotel" he looked at me and shook his head "It's dangerous to go in there even if you're in large groups"

"You may be scared, but I'll take a chance. To be honest I'm scared just a little" I told him

"Well what do you want me to do Vasili?" he asked looking up at me

"Go home" I told him flatly

"When?" he asked

"Right now"

"Without you? How will you get back?" It seemed he was concerned

"I'll find a way. I'll probably follow the tracks"

"Do you even know what direction Ponyville is in?"

"Like I said, I'll follow the tracks"

"That's still dangerous"

"Big Macintosh can you do me a favour?"

"What's the favour?"

"Don't tell Rainbow Dash what I'm doing"

"Why not?"

"Because then she'll do something that will end up getting her either killed or infected"

"How do you expect me to hide it?"

"I don't know how, but do you think you can do this for me?"

"Eyup"

"Thanks Big Macintosh, I'll try to save your little sister" I called out to them "Come on girls, get on the train"

Just as they got on the train I closed the door and locked it "Vasili what are you doing?" asked Dash who was beating at the exit to take me with her

* * *

><p>I ran towards the vacant hotel with my rifle on my back and machete in my hands "Applebloom, are you here?" I entered the place to realize that it was crawling with infected who drew their attention to me "Crap" they came charging at me much faster than I was used to. I got them all but didn't feel too good afterwards<p>

"Hello is anypony there? I'm scared" I walked over to the closet where a pale olive filly stood in front of me

"Is your name Applebloom?"

She seemed excited to see me "Thomas!" The pain at the mention of that name wasn't as great as it was the times before, but still managed to get me on my knees "oh, ah thought you were someone ah knew"

"Yeah I've been getting that a lot lately"

"Are you okay?" she asked

"Yeah, I'm fine" I started to stand up

"Who are you?"

I placed my hand over my heart, the proper way my mother showed me "My name is Vasili Belinski. But now that introductions are out of the way we need to get back to Ponyville"

"It's too dark outside"

"You're right, I guess we should stay here for the night"

"Do you know if my cousin Braeburn is okay?"

"Well you see...that's...I'll tell you tomorrow"


	10. Got her!

I awoke the next morning to see Braeburn corner me to a window "now you're gonna die"

Applebloom stepped towards him "Braeburn" I pulled her back and got up slinging my bag on my back with Applebloom in the bag but her head out enough for her to breathe.

Sheathing my machete and putting my rifle on my back I backed up to the window "I knew you humans were weak"

"Really? Because I have a plan"

"What is it then?" he asked so snidely

"Applebloom what do you think of a bit of freefall?" I leaned my head back to ask her

"It sounds scary" with that I jumped backwards out the window and landed just as I wanted to, facing the exit of Appleloosa.

* * *

><p>"What happened to Braeburn?" Applebloom asked from the bag as I started running<p>

"You see Applebloom"

"Don't treat me like a child"

"But you are"

"Tell me" She screamed into my ears

"Your cousin ate some bad meat"

"More details"

"Fine but if you get scared blame yourself"

"Ah can deal with it"

"Your cousin Braeburn ate some meat from a creature called Royal and it poisoned him and now he's a much smarter version of infected"

"That's it?"

"I spared graphic details"

"Where are you taking me to?"

"Ponyville" I looked behind to notice I was at least one kilometre from Appleloosa "So I heard you have a missing friend"

"Yeah, Sweetie Belle, she's Rarity's little sister"

"I know that, so what's her cutie mark?"

"We still don't have them and the person I thought you were helped Scootaloo get her cutie mark but probably one minute later she died"

"I heard and I am sorry for you loss"

"There wasn't anything anypony could do"

"You said anypony"

"Yeah? So?"

"So that implies that there was someone from another race could have done something"

"Umm, how long do we have until ah cain' get home?"

"Judging by these rails and the probability of coming across Royals, I'd say fifteen hours"

She cried out aloud "Fifteen hours? Ah cain't wait that long"

"Well unless a train comes along you're gonna have to" after about an hour of switching between walking and running.

Applebloom started getting scared of what was ahead "what are those scary things up ahead"

"That is a desert Royal" it came charging at me, at least it did until my machete came down and went through its skull "that was a little too easy, we better keep going" I slowly walked over to the dead royal, its leg twitched "It may not be dead" I walked even slower to it, I went to grab the machete, it jumped up at Applebloom

"Ah don't wanna die" she screamed, I pulled the Mosin-Nagant off my shoulders and beat the half dead Royal down to the ground

"Applebloom are you okay?"

"Ah'm okay now"

"Good because we're gonna need to get the fuck outta here"

"What did you just say?" I jumped back, shot the Royal in the centre of the head and ran towards the dead body to retrieve the machete "I'm going to be going quicker than I was before, so brace yourself" I started running to the machete and picking it up while I was running to another two who pulled themselves out of the ground. Holding the machete out to the right and the rifle in the left I shot the Royal on the left and slammed the one on the right with the back of the machete.

Applebloom got blood her face, she didn't tell me until later "Vasili?"

"What is it Applebloom?"

"Ah got some stuff from that thing on mah face"

"Wipe it off, now!"

She was obviously struggling to wipe it off "It's not coming off" I flung the bag off and wiped the blood from her face and then rubbing it onto the railroad bars

"That was lucky"

"How an' why was that lucky?"

"That blood is poisonous, the blood may have been what caused Braeburn to turn into what you saw earlier"

"Ah'm bored, I wanna do something"

"Well I can't let you out of this bag"

"An' why not?"

"Those Royals could be anywhere and I don't have the time to pick you up and run. If it cheers you up we've only got about thirteen hours and eight of those have daylight"

"Ya mean we're gonna get back during the night?"

"Calm down Applebloom, I have a light"

"Ah sure hope ya do"

* * *

><p>Nightfall reached and we hadn't seen a Royal or an infected pony in hours "Ah'm gettin' scared Vasili"<p>

"And I'm getting curious"

"Why?"

"We haven't seen anything in hours"

"That's a good thing though, right?"

"No. Because where might they be, hiding?"

"Ah dunno? Wait you just said they're hiding"

"No I said they _might_ be hiding"

There was a strange voice which kept repeating itself '_She pays you more attention then she paid me_'

"Applebloom did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"A voice said: she pays you more attention then she paid me"

"Ah didn't hear anything"

As we got closer to Ponyville it the voice changed what it was saying to _'they're coming and I'm gonna kill you'_

"Applebloom wake up"

"What is it Vasili?"

"I need you to watch my six"

"What in the hay does that supposed to mean?"

"It means watch behind me and call out any threats, in other words infected ponies"

"Infected ponies?" she asked with a little bit of curiosity

"Sounds like you've seen something like this before"

"Ah have, years ago"

"How many?" I asked bringing my rifle off my back again

"Ah dunno maybe thirteen"

* * *

><p>By the time we had reached Twilights' library Applebloom was asleep again. I went to grab the door handle and twist it, it was locked "Damn, better knock" all the knocking did was just wake up some infected ponies, within seconds I was surrounded by the infected "Fuck, I am screwed" the ice-pick had fallen from the bag. I picked it up and slammed it into the tree, I took the bag off and threw it onto the ice-pick, I unsheathed the machete pointing at the closest infected "Do it!" The infected pony jumped at me, bringing the machete down I crushed its head.<p>

The voice came back in a taunting tone '_you're not gunna make_ it'

"I FUCKING WILL!" The other ponies started to circle around me, I hadn't noticed it but one was invisible and crawling down the tree, it jumped at me, only having one split second to turn around it pushed me over "ah fuck it's worse when I can't see the bastard" I sliced at a random spot, it started to bleed and appear "I got ya now" stabbing its brain going through underneath, I killed it. Pushing it off me and getting up I decapitated one of the three remaining infected, shoving the claw at the back of it through another infecteds' chest "come on you pussy" it growled at me but never came closer "BOO!" It ran away. I jumped up and pulled the ice-pick out of the tree and put the bag on my back "I guess we'll have to break in" I had both the machete and ice-pick in my hands shoving them in the tree I used them to climb it, after about half a minute of climbing I reached the balcony. "Applebloom wake up"

"What now?" she rubbed her eyes

"We're here, now you can get out of the bag"

"Finally" she jumped out of the bag and onto the balcony, I soon climbed over the bars on it

"Now Applebloom pay attention: Don't go more than fifty centimetres unless I tell you"

"Ah'm sick of this Vasili"

"so am I Applebloom" I pulled the machete out of the tree and used it to crack open a piece of glass next to the lock inside the door, I then pulled the ice-pick out of the tree.

'_You will set me free_' that voice came back

"Who the fuck are you?" it didn't respond, Applebloom and I were extremely tired but I wasn't ready to let anything slip. Applebloom had collapsed from lack of sleep. I had picked her up and placed her in a bed, there was a noise behind me "what was that?" I was frightened and the machete and ice-pick were too blunt to use, the noise grew louder as it came closer, I reached behind me and picked up two kitchen knives with engravings of: WDFP. What happened next, I don't know. But it was a bloody miracle.


	11. The Morning That Follows

I awoke the next morning, thankfully before Applebloom was up, the last thing she needed to see was what in front of me. "Oh dear god" there lied a brutally murdered corpse "I didn't do that did I? No I couldn't have. But who else could have done it?" Applebloom was waking up, I quickly picked up the body and threw it out the window. It got a good ten or more metres away from the tree, at least it was out of sight.

"Good Morning Vasili. What are y'all doin' out the window?"

"I umm... I'm watching the sunrise"

She walked over to me "what are we doin' today?"

I turned towards her "we're gonna find out where your sister is" I chucked a jacket on and armed myself with my rifle and my trench knife.

* * *

><p>We stuck close together, Applebloom noticed a particularly familiar cloud "ah think that's Rainbow Dash's house"<p>

"Are you sure?" I looked up and noticed the hot air balloon

"Mah big sister must be up there"

And then we heard Applejacks' voice "Applebloom is that you?"

"Applejack!" I could tell that Applebloom was excited to see her sister again, Rarity had walked over

"Is Sweetie Belle with you?"

"Sorry Rarity I didn't see her"

Rainbow Dash had speeded over and picked me up while I had Applebloom in my hands. Applebloom was put in the balloon while somehow I was able to walk on the clouds, Applejack walked over to me "Thank ya' Vasili"

"For what?" I asked

"Ah never thought I'd see you or Applebloom ever again" Twilight walked over to me

"Where the hell were you last night? No note or anything" I asked

"We didn't know what had happened to you, Rainbow Dash thought you were dead" Twi replied

Rainbow Dash came over to me crying in relief "I take it you missed me" I said with a light-hearted laugh

"Don't ever do that to me again" she said through her tears

"I'm sorry Rainbow but I just don't think she would've been safe with Braeburn in the same place as her"

Applejack spoke "and ah'm awful grateful for the trouble you went through"

My new uniform had been worn out, cut, scratched and had patches missing "um... I'm sorry Rarity"

"Oh dear this cannot do. I'll have it replaced by tomorrow"

"Even though I didn't save Sweetie Belle?"

"Well you'll need a new one if you want to help her" a smile came across my face,

Rainbow Dash stopped crying "He's not doing anything like that again Rarity"

Twilight shared her opinion "Rainbow, I think that's up to him to decide whether or not he wants to help Sweetie Belle"

"No, he could have died Twilight. Don't you care about that?"

"I do, but look he survived on his own"

"Barely look at him, he's a wreck"

I was getting sick of them arguing "Alright both of you **SHUT UP!**" they went quiet "okay Rainbow I can understand your concern for me but Twilight's right, if I wanna save Sweetie Belle I can save her"

She tried to talk "But-"

"-No Rainbow"

Rainbow Dash was upset and walked towards Applejack "Ah guess you just had your first argument"

"Shut up Applejack"

"Now, now sugar cube every relationship has at least one, it's healthy to have a few but not too many"

I walked over to Rainbow Dash and put a hand on her back "hey I'm sorry about just going off at you and I can tell that you love me"

Rainbow Dash blushed "What!? That's not true"

"Rainbow I'm not blind. I can tell that you love me, what reasons I don't know, maybe I remind you of someone"

"Yeah I guess you do" it was like she felt she was defeated.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later I found her crying alone "Hey why are you so sad?"<p>

"Just leave me alone"

"I'm not leaving if you're not telling"

"You must think I'm stupid"

"What? Why would I think that?"

"Because I admitted I love you"

"And how would that make you stupid?"

"Because you love Applejack"

"I do not. If I was to pick any of you girls I'd pick you" I had to cheer her up somehow "so who do I remind you of?"

Her crying slowed "Huh?"

"You said that I remind you of someone, didn't you?"

"I think I did"

"Well, who is it that I remind you of?"

"A bit of Scootaloo and another human"

"Is this one related to me by chance?"

"You could say that"

"Come on, everyone is wondering where you are"

Her crying got harder "They'll think I'm stupid"

"Why?"

"Because I'm in love with you"

"Rainbow, what's wrong with loving me?"

"I'm a Pegasus and you're a human"

"I still don't see what's wrong with that"

The voice returned '_Why would you make her cry?_'

"Leave me the fuck alone"

Rainbow cried even harder "I didn't mean you"

"I'm the only one here you must have been talking to me"

"No, it's not like that"

"Then what is it?"

"I hear voices, apparently no one else can" I said trying to sound _not_ insane

"Who was talking just then?"

"I don't know who it is, but she seemed have idolised you"

she almost stopped crying "well I guess we better go, everypony'll be wonder where we are" with that Rainbow Dash got up and walked over to me, feeling bad enough I hugged her.

We let go of each other as Twilight entered the room, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, we were just about to leave"

"Okay in that case, we'd better hurry, my spell will wear off soon"

"But you didn't put it on Vasili"

"I know and that's what got me thinking"

* * *

><p>The ponies had gotten in the balloon while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and I had stayed on the cloud "you up for a race down there?"<p>

"Are you crazy? You'll die from the fall"

"I haven't so far" with that I jumped off the cloud and freefell in the sky

"He's gonna kill himself" Rainbow Dash followed me, but by the time she had reached me I was already on the ground

"Thank Celestia you're okay, but how did that fall _not_ kill you?"

"The thing is by the time I jumped I was already on the ground. Come on Twilight will be wondering where we are" it took us a while but we reached the library in time,

Twilight turned to us "Oh good you're here"

"Yeah, we are. Why?"

"We're going to go to the Ever-Free forest to collect something from Zecora, we think it may enhance your combat skills"

Applebloom walked over to her sister "Cain ah come too?"

"It's too dangerous Applebloom"

"Then how come he gets to go?" she said pointing at me

"Because he knows how to protect himself"

"But..."

"End of discussion Applebloom" Applebloom was clearly upset so Applejack stayed behind with her along with Rarity.


	12. Oh Look At That, Family

We started walking into the Ever-Free forest "Don't go wondering off"

"Don't worry, I won't Rainbow Dash"

We reached Zecora's home "I see you ponies are alive, and that Vasili did not die"

"Yeah, you helped me a lot, so thanks"

Twilight walked forwards "Zecora we need some herbs that will help Vasili in a fight"

Zecora went to a shelf and handed Twilight some herbs "Here are the herbs you seek, for when he fights he'll be less weak"

Night was setting once more "We better get back before it get too dark" We left Zecora's and soon after I started falling behind.

* * *

><p>I heard a lady's voice "hey kid"<p>

I admit I was scared at first "who are you?"

She responded "that's exactly what I said my first time here"

I was still a bit frightened "again, who are you?"

She jumped down the tree to reveal a busty lady in a white shirt, a leather jacket and denim jeans. "I'm a friend"

"Of who?"

"Well maybe not a friend"

"Oh, so you're not friendly now?"

What she said next was strange to me at the time "No, I'm related to you"

"How?"

"I'm you aunt" I didn't believe her... at first

"All of my family is dead"

"Well obviously _I'm_ not"

"Then how come no one ever mentioned you to me? Explain that"

It seemed like she had an answer for everything "I have done things I'm not proud of"

"Like what?"

"I tried to kill my own brother"

"Oh and you expect me to trust you after saying that?" a Royal came charging at me, I went to kill it. But the lady raised her hand and stoped the Royal from moving

"Saving your ass is a good way isn't it?" I couldn't believe what I was seeing

"What!? How are you doing that?"

"I gained some demonic abilities after I was reborn"

I didn't understand at first "What do you mean reborn?"

"I died, I came back to life and got these demonic abilities"

"What are your powers?"

She sighed "I used to have others when I worked for Death but now I can only control Royals and have Nightmare State"

"Then how could you have come back, almost no one can come back"

She responded in an amused tone "Is that what they've been telling you?"

I got a bit pissed off "And I suppose you can just go in and out like that?"

"That's pretty much it Vasili"

The mere mention of my name had me shocked "I didn't even tell you my name, how the hell could you know who I am?"

She walked closer to me "I know all your friends and they know me...especially your girlfriend Rainbow Dash"

I got a little defensive "She isn't my girlfriend!"

"Deny it all you want but she thinks she is, and so do I"

"What do you want from me?"

"Can't your aunty see how you are?" she asked with her palm on my cheeks

"Not after twelve years and how can you prove that you're my aunty?"

"Just ask your girlfriend"

"She's not my girlfriend"

"Anyway I have an offer for you" I never thought she'd say what she said next

"What?" I asked

"Your mother _is _alive" I thought she was kidding

"Bullshit! I saw her die"

"No, she survived and if you help me with a little favour I _will_ find your mother"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

She chuckled and relied "well, that's just a risk you're going to have to take"

I wanted her back that moment "Fine, we got a deal. I want her back"

We heard Rainbow Dash's faint voice "I'll see you some time later, oh I think your friends are looking for you"

She jumped into the trees and ran off "Wait! What's your name?"

I didn't think I'd get a reply "Yuki!"

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash had found me "I think I met my aunty"<p>

Rainbow Dash looked confused "She's dead and has been for thirteen years"

"She reminded me a lot of you Rainbow"

It was obvious that she was offended "How could you say that"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way"

"You don't even know her name, you couldn't have met her"

"She said her name was Yuki"

Rainbow Dash started to cry "She's messing with your head, only some of the dead can do that"

"How do you know she's even dead?"

"I saw your father kill her, even Applejack saw it and at the time Applejack and him, they were like us"

"Why would he kill her?"

She was choking back her tears "I wouldn't be the pony to ask you'd have to talk to Applejack"

Twilight and Fluttershy had walked over to us "Good I found you two, we're going home"

Rainbow Dash and I both broke away from each other and looked at Twilight "Okay" we started walking out of the Ever-Free forest and soon arrived in Ponyville.

* * *

><p>We arrived at Twilight's library, I walked over to Applejack "Hey Vasili, what can I do ya for?"<p>

"I got a question about my father"

She looked depressed as soon as I asked her "Yeah, what is it?"

"Why did he kill his sister?"

"Your father was an only child" she didn't sound convincing

"Rainbow Dash told me about his sister"

"Your aunty, his sister. Was lied to by the same horse that both helped and tried to kill your father" I could see she was breaking on the inside

"Anything else?"

"She was sent to kill him, she thought she'd go home if she killed him. Your father was a great fighter but took her alone. Even though he knew she was better fighter"

"Why didn't my mother help?"

"She wasn't here...yet"

"What do you mean yet?"

"She came here a few months later" there was silence for a while "So anything else you wanna know?"

Something Rainbow Dash said to me when we first me hit me like a bullet "If my aunty is alive, assuming she is. Would that make me like her?"

"What do ya mean by that?"

"Well after I came back alive, after I died a few months ago Rainbow Dash said 'we assumed it had something to do with your bloodline' or something like that"

"Ah'm not sure, but Twilight might know the proper term. But Ah'd say that the bloodline is the only thing you have in common"

"Okay thanks AJ" "That's all?"

"Yep, thanks again I needed to clear some things up"

I walked back to Twilight "Hey Vasili, I got a question for you"

I chuckled "That's funny because I have one for you"

"I'll answer yours if you answer mine"

"Deal"

"What were you doing when we lost you?"

"I was talking to Rainbow"

"No before that"

"Oh, Rainbow thinks that my Yuki was fucking with my head"

She got confused "That doesn't...I can't...That makes no sense, she's dead"

"yeah that's what Rainbow said"

Twilight shook her head "What did you want to ask me"

"Applejack said that there is a term for those who have died and came back to life, she said you would know it"

"Zombies"

"No, people like me"

"I haven't said that term in years"

"What is it?"

"Well I call them lucky, but the proper name is Reborn"

"Is it possible that my aunty could be one too?"

"Hard to say, I never met her personally"

"Okay, I'm just trying to clear my head, thanks"

"It's getting kinda late, you ought to hit the hay"

I wasn't tired but still walked to bed "Goodnight girls" I slowly walked to bed remembering the conversation I had with Yuki. I opened the door, a Royal came out and ripped my guts out and the girls were just there laughing at me. I opened my eyes, "What!? I thought I just, shit I'm getting awfully sleepy" I looked down to see I hadn't touched the door and my body was still intact. I walked to the side of the door and opened it, I was expecting a Royal to jump out and attack me. I looked in the door and there were no Royals in sight, I walked to the bed, climbed in and I was out like a light.


	13. A Caring Aunt

I woke up next to Rainbow Dash, "no surprise" her eyes started to open "shh, go back to sleep" her eyes closed again, I crept downstairs trying to make no noise, I walked into the kitchen to and noticed Pinkie making some muffins

She turned around and spoke loudly "Hi Vasili"

"Pinkie, shh they're all still sleeping"

Her hair went straight and she got a lot darker "Good to see the tranquilisers worked"

"What tranquilisers?" she drew a knife and stabbed me in the thigh forcing me to sit down, she took the knife out of my leg "FUCK!" she slowly started to lap up every last drop of blood that came out of my wound "not again!" I opened my eyes to find I was on my knees with my hands around my head.

"Are you okay Vasili?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" I stood up, the rest of the girls came bolting down the stairs, I could feel Dash's heart beating from more than a metre away, she spoke

"Are you okay? I heard screaming"

"Again, I'm fine. My mind just went a little psycho for a while, it did it last night too"

Twilight started making accusations "I reckon that it was Yuki"

I got really annoyed that they kept saying everything bad happening to my mind was her fault "No! It wasn't!"

"Then who do ya'll reckon it was Vasili"

"I don't know, but from what I met of her she was a kind and caring woman"

Fluttershy whimpered at what I just said "umm...Vasili...I don't think we are thinking of the same person...but you know...you might be"

"That's it I'm leaving, I won't just stand here and hear you blame my family"

Rainbow Dash tried to reason with me "Not your family, just someone in it"

I walked to the door "No, that's it. I'm fucking leaving"

"Vasili don't" I opened the door "please, don't do it"

I walked out and slammed the door behind me, I started crying and ran away "They aren't my friends, they never were" I wiped the tears from my face, I found that in the short time running I found my way into the Ever-Free forest

* * *

><p>I sat down under a random tree "Hey kid, what's wrong?" that voice was so familiar "Vasili, are you going to answer me?"<p>

I stood up "you're not real, you're dead"

Yuki jumped down from the tree I was leaning against "If I'm dead how could I be talking to you?"

I choked back my tears "You're fucking with me from your grave"

"I'm not dead. Now tell me what's wrong?" I ran over to punch her in the stomach. She responded by grabbing my arm and throwing me into the tree "What the fuck is wrong?"

"You, you're what's wrong!"

"How am I what's wrong?"

"You made me run away from the only ones who really cared for me"

She turned away from me, I slowly got up and angrily clenched my fist, I started running at her. She turned around just as I was about to hit her and she threw me into another tree "you're angry. Tell me what happened, come on, I know what you're like and this isn't you"

I was pissed off at her throwing me into trees "Go fuck yourself, you're not my aunty"

She lifted me up by my legs and jumped onto a branch "tell me or I can let you drop"

"Fine put me on the ground and I will, I swear" I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life

"Alright, now what happened" I started to cough "they started to"

"They isn't good enough, tell me who 'they' are"

"Twilight, Rainbow Dash and those girls"

"What did they do?"

"They started accusing you for everything that's gone wrong in my life"

"Don't waste my time"

"I came out here so I would die and get this never ending pain out of my life"

"Vasili, does this never ending pain pull at your heat and make you do things you wouldn't normally do"

"Yeah. How do you know what it's like?"

"I've been in love before, and from the sounds of it you are in love with someone"

"Then why would love give me all these haunting visions?"

"That isn't love, that's what you're father had, it calls itself 'The Demon' it takes love and turns it to hate"

"Please for the love of god make it stop, I can't bear it anymore" Yuki pulled out a scythe and drove it up through my stomach and up into my skull, I opened my eyes once again to find her crouching over me "Make it stop, please I can't take it anymore"

She remained so calm when she spoke "There is only one thing I can do, and that's help. Only _you _can kill it, it will slowly kill every single voice in your head until it's the only one left"

I kept crying "how do I kill it?"

She stood up and helped me get on my feet "you can do one thing"

"What is it?"

"Don't let it kill the voices"

"How do I do that?"

"One word: Love"

I couldn't stop crying "how can I love when there's nobody there for me"

She nodded in the direction I came from "Go home, now. Before they start to get worried about you, and before it gets dark. I'll always be here for you kid, but don't come to me because you're letting The Demon win, go back and apologise to them"

"What if they don't want me back? What if they got a better human than me?"

"Do you know why they kept you?" the only thing I could do was shake my head "It wasn't because they think humans are good guards, believe me we're shit" she chuckled and I started to smile "it was for two reasons"

"What were the reasons?"

"One is they don't want to see you hurt"

"The other one?"

"Did you feel a connection to them when you first met them?"

"Yeah, I did"

"That's because your father, my brother, God rest his soul. He was really good friends with them, it was because of your father, not because you're a human"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really" I stood there regaining my strength so I could face Rainbow Dash and the rest "What are you still doing here? Get back there"

"but what about you? Aren't you going to come to prove that you exist?"

She shook her head then jumped onto a branch "Remember kid, don't let The Demon win and it will make life a lot easier for you" she started jumping away.

* * *

><p>I ran back to Twilight's home and I was just about to open the door, I reached for the handle but couldn't move my hands towards the handle <em>'don't come to me because you're letting The Demon win'<em> I forced my hands on the handle _'you're letting The Demon win'_ what Yuki had said to me was racing through my mind at a million words per second

"I have to do this" I opened the door expecting to see a horrific sight and wake up, my headaches started getting more intense "arrggh, fuck!" my eyes were forced closed, I opened them "Oh fuck, NO! NO! Not this!" everything around me started turning grey the freely open world started closing in making a dome shaped room. I looked to my right and saw a swivel chair, "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! I didn't need this to happen" I was in my most feared part of everywhere, Nightmare State.


	14. Childhood

I walked over to two large doors and pushed them, I found two dead bodies in a wedding chapel, the first was obvious, Pinkie Pie with the straight hair I had seen when I went down to get something to eat earlier that morning "Wait a minute she didn't have straight hair when she killed us" the second corpse instantly became obvious, it was me. Walked over to my body "jeez, if only I knew back then what I know now" the hand on my corpse reached out for my leg, all the dead bodies came to life, pinned me down and started eating my flesh and organs. I shook my head and I was back standing back up all intact "Weird, normally if I get hurt here I'm hurt in real life" I turned around, all the seats were gone and the doors were missing. I turned around and the bodies were gone, I looked back to were the doors and seats where, there was a shadowy figure standing where the doors where "OI! Who are you? Did you bring me here?" the figure's head nodded "So who are you?" it turned around and started walking away "OI! Get back here!" it turned around the corner and kept walking "Fucking hell. I'm talking to you!" I started chasing after the shadowy body, I came to a dead end "Where the fuck did he go?" just as I was about to be knocked out, I dodged and whacked the attacker with his baseball bat and held him up by his throat "I got questions and you're going to answer them" just as it was about to spit in my face I smacked it against the wall, but as I did my head started to hurt "arrggh, shit!"

'_Let The Demon win'_ it spoke in Yuki's voice I threw it down the hallway.

A trench knife caught my eye "You're gunna die" I picked up the knife and stabbed the shadowy body until there was no part which had not been stabbed.

The voice which taunted me on my way back from Appleloosa spoke _'wrong body'_ light came onto the face of the body and I couldn't make the hate I had of myself go away

"No! No! No!" I realised that the body I stabbed was the one of myself as a child, I tried and tried and tried but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't remember any of my childhood, I could only remember my mother, but I even had trouble remembering her, all the happy times in my life, everything I thought that was worth fighting for, gone.

* * *

><p>My eyes were forced shut by my crying but they opened minutes later. I found myself in a bed surrounded by those I had been an arse to yesterday, I was just about to speak but Twilight stopped me "shh, you're still injured"<p>

I spoke anyway "You still helped me, even after yesterday"

Applejack replied first "Trust meh, ya father had done worse that what you did to us"

"What do you mean, worse? Like he almost killed one of you?"

Applejack seemed sad as I asked, Rainbow Dash replied "Nearly, once we had to get royal guards to knock him out and tie him up"

"Why"

"If they didn't he could have taken the place apart and everyone in it, with his bare hands"

"Damn! That bad was he?"

Applejack seemed to have cheered up and answered "Not always, just after a certain point. There were times that it just wasn't him in control"

It was getting harder to talk as time went on "like he was...ugh...possessed?"

Twilight repeated herself "Shh, you're injured. Just get some rest" they left the room and closed the door behind them. I leaned over to my left and pulled open a drawer there were photos of some child and my mother together, I went to pick up the photos and my head felt like there was someone trying to split it open with a hard and sharp rock. In the blink of an eye they were gone, along with the pain "What the fuck is happening to me?" _'You're letting The Demon win'_ "I can't let it win" I got out of the bed to find my stomach was covered in bandages. I slowly and carefully unwrapped the bandages off of me, I looked down and found no wounds or anything.

* * *

><p>I went over to the cupboard and took out some clothes Rarity had obviously made for me, I walked down the stairs to find the girls ripped apart and hung in all gruesome ways "NO! THIS ISN'T REAL!" time started reversing. A ghostly shape started walking over to the table, a shape which looked like Applejack put a blanket down on the table and the ghost put a royal guard down on the blanket.<p>

A distant voice started calling me "Hey Vasili? Are you okay?"

I came back to reality and the ghosts went away "Yeah I'm fine Twilight"

She came closer to me "Everything alright?"

"I think I saw my father, I don't know"

"He's dead, you know that right?"

"Twilight I recently lost all my childhood memories, and I meant his ghost or something like that. Is it possible that I could have seen one of his memories?"

"You would have to have had something that was in his mind, and as far as I know you don't"

"After I ran away yesterday, I _supposedly_ saw my aunty again, she said that there was this thing that calls itself 'The Demon' and that it may be in my mind now that the original host is dead"

"That's possible, but I don't know how that could happen seeing as you two were never alive at the same time"

"Other than when I was in my mothers' womb"

"I don't think it would have had any interest in you back then" I shook my head knowing she would no longer be able to help me with what was happening to me "Vasili, there must be parts that have been erased from your mind by them being linked to your childhood, if you really did loose your memories"

"Twilight, everything I thought that was worth fighting for, it's gone. I can barely remember my mother, and she was the main reason why I'm doing everything I can to make it end, so I can find her" I looked over the stairs and noticed the same ghost from before run up the walls it started pulling itself up, the were zombie ponies walking near it, it fully pulled itself up. The ghost threw a book away and jumped off the ledge and punched the closest zombie pony and stabbed the other one, the ghosts faded away "Twilight, I really think that I have his memories"

She seemed interested "Which one?"

"I think it was at night and he was pretty much slaughtering infected ponies"

She flashed back to that night "Show me your back"

"Why?"

"I need to check something" I lifted the back of my shirt up "What? Why don't you have the same marks?"

"What marks?"

"He called them tattoos"

* * *

><p>My head started to split as I flashed back to something my mother told me as a kid "Mommy what did daddy look like?"<p>

"What was that Oli?" she walked over to me

"Daddy, what did he look like?"

"Well, he was tall"

"Will I be tall mommy?"

"I'm sure you will, Oli"

"What else did he look like?"

She sat down next to me "He had dark brown hair and some tattoos"

"What are tadoos?"

"No, Tattoos"

"Tattoos"

"That's right, and they can be pictures or words"

"What did daddy's look like?"

"He had four words: War, Death, Famine and Pestilence. They're the four horses of the apocalypse"

"They sound like bad ponies"

"Not all of them were mean to him. War was kind to him. Unfortunately the other horses didn't like that then they killed him, War not daddy"

"Will I have his tattoos when I'm older?"

"No, you see Oli, you aren't born with them, you get them put in you with a needle"

"Like my medicine?"

"No, a machine which you hold in your hand does it and it does it a lot faster"

* * *

><p>I came back from my flashback and my head stopped aching "Twilight, you aren't born with tattoos, nobody is"<p>

"But your father said they're like cutie mark"

"They're not, they're like a painting on your body"

"How would you know?"

"My mother told me when I was a kid"

"You said your childhood memories were gone"

"The body never went away, so it may be dead but still breathing"

"How does that even work?"

"Maybe like how I'm dead"

"You're not dead"

"I was"

"When?"

"Back a few months ago, back when we met"

Twilight soon remembered to that night I was referring to "But you're alive now" _'Your life is like a clock. It does end, but it will start again. That is the curse us reborns wear'_ I hadn't realised it but I had dropped to the floor with my hands on my head,

I heard my mothers voice calling "Oli, Oli, wake up Oli"

I opened my eyes and saw and noticed Rainbow calling for me "Vasili, Vasili, wake up Vasili!"

I got up, she had a sigh of relief "Apparition" I whispered

"What was that?"

"Huh? What was what?"

"Did you say something?"

'_Fear me not young one I will help you rid The Demon, why I despise its entire existence. It drove me to kill my beloved wife and then kill myself'_

"It's nothing, I was just talking to myself"

"Ok then..." she still seemed concerned about me "...Alright, I was just checking. Let me know if you're not feeling alright, okay?"

I nodded "Will do Rainbow" She walked away, I saw that she had a bit of blood on her legs "Hey Rainbow!"

She turned her head to me "What is it?" I blinked and the blood on the back of legs was gone

"Nothing, I thought that I saw something, I guess it wasn't there"

She completely turned around "why don't you have a lie down"

"Yeah, I think I will" I walked over to the stairs and sat down leaning against them and started to sleep.


	15. Thanks For The Memories

I don't know how long I was asleep but it was just enough to stop me seeing things, I noticed that Applebloom was gone. I walked over to Applejack "Hey AJ where's Applebloom?"

She looked at me "Ah sent her back home with Big Macintosh"

"Ok, so how is she?"

"She's fine"

"That's nice to know"

I didn't notice but Rainbow Dash had crept up behind me "Have a nice sleep, Vasili?"

I admit that I jumped "Yeah, I did"

"I told you it was just what you needed"

Twilight had walked up to me "Vasili, I found something about your father to show you, that is if you're still interested in it. I forgot about it long ago, but it still seems like it's in good shape"

"Sure, where is it?"

She walked to a trapdoor on the floor and opened it up, she walked down a pair of stairs "Are you coming?" I quickly caught up with Twilight as she was stopped by a door which had no way it could possibly be opened "What where are the handles?"

I looked to my right and saw four numbers engraved in the cement walls I wiped the spider webs away from it revealing the numbers _'3004'_ "Why do these numbers keep following me everywhere?"

The doors parted "There we go. What were you saying?"

"Nothing" we walked into the room, it was filled with weapons and a few filing cabinets "So everything here?"

"Yep, it all belonged to you father. Every last bit, except for the few odd pieces of weapons and pictures of me and the girls with him"

My attention was drawn to a mounted gun "Hey Twilight, what's that?"

She looked at where I was pointing "That?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

She walked closer "I think it's the FPR"

"Huh?"

"It stands for Flesh Pulse Rifle. Your father used it to pretty much decimate any zombie ponies, when he ran out of bullets he'd use this. It was scary to watch when he shot it"

It was as if she saw me using against her "Was it mounted like that when he used it?"

She shook her head "No, he carried it around in his hands"

I was curious to know what it felt like to shoot "Can I have a shot of it?"

She replied "Sorry, it doesn't work anymore, it's been deactivated" My left eye started to ache, somehow I could tell that she just lied to me "Vasili, are you alright?"

"I'm fine" someone was calling me _'Vasili, Vasili look at me'_ I turned around to see that I was being spoken to by a sword, telepathically _'pick me up Vasili'_ I went to grab the sword

"Don't touch!" Twilight called out

"Excuse me?"

"Don't touch the sword"

I didn't understand why I couldn't "why not?"

"It might break or cut you"

"There's nothing a cut could do to me what already hasn't happened"

"It's dangerous, really, really dangerous to get cut by that sword"

"Fine"

It spoke again _'Find me later, pick me up then'_

I looked at some of the pictures hung up on the walls "Hey Twilight"

"Yeah what is it?"

I pointed to a picture "What's that?" it looked like a horse with tendrils out of its back,

She examined it "I think that's a Slendermane"

"What's that?"

"I don't quite remember to be honest. For memory in your father's realm they were called 'Slender Man' they kidnapped children, they kinda feed off of fear and that's when they get you. Other than that I don't know much about them" I looked at the picture and blinked, all of a sudden it was a human shape then I blinked again and the image was gone

'_This is why you need me'_

I looked at Twilight "Can you still see the Slendermane?"

"Sure I can, why?"

"No reason"

She turned to me "You've been saying that a lot lately"

"Yeah, I guess I have"

She was just about to leave but then spoke "Wait! I just remembered your father had his own bedroom in here"

I looked around then asked "Where is it" She pointed to a door, I nodded thanks to her and opened the door to find almost everything I had at home; a wardrobe, a toilet, a bed and best of all a shower. I smelt myself "God I stink"

* * *

><p>I hopped in the shower after a good few minutes I hopped out and dried myself off, looking through the drawers I came across some clothes that would fit me; a teal t-shirt, jeans and a light brown leather jacket. I put them on "perfect fit" I mumbled to myself, I walked back upstairs into the library<p>

"Oh no not that jacket" I turned around and saw Rainbow kind of scared

"What's wrong Dash?" I walked over to her

"I'm just remembering the first time I ate meat"

I got kind of exited "What was it?"

She gulped "Deer, but at the time the thought of devouring another animal was, incomprehensible and that jacket was made from that deer, that's why I don't like it"

I felt like I didn't wanna hurt her feelings "Should I take it off?" she suggestively raised her eyebrows "Ewww, Rainbow that's gross"

"What? It was a joke Vasili, you can wear clothes if you want to I won't stop you" she started to blush after she realised what she just said to me "That didn't come out right, I meant I won't tell you what to wear" I nodded at her offering a hug but she backed away "Is it stuffy in here, I think it's getting stuffy, see ya" with that she bolted away,

Applejack walked up to me "What was all tat bout?"

I shrugged "Rainbow was getting embarrassed around me so she left"

"Whaddya mean embarrassed?"

"Well she started talking about me wearing clothes or not"

Applejack mumbled something that sounded like "Sexual tension"

I walked over to Twilight "Hey Twi?" she had her head buried in some research notes "I'm gonna head home, and see if I can pick up some of my old stuff

she turned to me "No! You can't it's too dangerous today, wait a week or so" I knew I wouldn't win that argument so I went down to my room and did a little training.


	16. My Room, My Rules

I don't know how long I was asleep but it was just enough to stop me seeing things, I noticed that Applebloom was gone. I walked over to Applejack "Hey AJ where's Applebloom?"

She looked at me "Ah sent her back home with Big Macintosh"

"Ok, so how is she?"

"She's fine"

"That's nice to know" I didn't notice but Rainbow Dash had crept up behind me

"Have a nice sleep, Vasili?" I admit that I jumped

"Yeah, I did"

"I told you it was just what you needed"

Twilight had walked up to me "Vasili, I found something about your father to show you, that is if you're still interested in it. I forgot about it long ago, but it still seems like it's in good shape"

"Sure, where is it?"

She walked to a trapdoor on the floor and opened it up, she walked down a pair of stairs "Are you coming?" I quickly caught up with Twilight as she was stopped by a door which had no way it could possibly be opened "What? Where are the handles?" I looked to my right and saw four numbers engraved in the cement walls, I wiped the spider webs away from it revealing the numbers _'3004'_

"Why do these numbers keep following me everywhere?"

The doors parted "There we go. What were you saying?"

"Nothing"

We walked into the room, it was filled with weapons and a few filing cabinets "So everything here?"

"Yep, it all belonged to you father. Every last bit, except for the few odd pieces of weapons and pictures of me and the girls with him" my attention was drawn to a mounted gun

"Hey Twilight, what's that?"

She looked at where I was pointing "That?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

She walked closer "I think it's the FPR"

"Huh?"

"It stands for Flesh Pulse Rifle. Your father used it to pretty much decimate any zombie ponies, when he ran out of bullets he'd use this. It was scary to watch when he shot it" it was as if she saw me using against her

"Was it mounted like that when he used it?"

She shook her head "No, he carried it around in his hands"

I was curious to know what it felt like to shoot "Can I have a shot of it?"

She replied "Sorry, it doesn't work anymore, it's been deactivated" my left eye started to ache, somehow I could tell that she just lied to me "Vasili, are you alright?"

"I'm fine" someone was calling me _'Vasili, Vasili look at me'_ I turned around to see that I was being spoken to by a sword, telepathically _'pick me up Vasili'_ I went to grab the sword

"Don't touch!" Twilight called out

"Excuse me?"

"Don't touch the sword" I didn't understand why I couldn't "why not?" "It might break or cut you"

"There's nothing a cut could do to me what already hasn't happened"

"It's dangerous, really, really dangerous to get cut by that sword"

"Fine" it spoke again _'find me later, pick me up then'_ I looked at some of the pictures hung up on the walls "Hey Twilight"

"Yeah what is it?"

I pointed to a picture "what's that?"

It looked like a horse with tendrils out of its back, she examined it "I think that's a Slendermane"

"What's that?

"I don't quite remember to be honest. For memory in your father's realm they were called 'Slender Man' they kidnapped children, they kinda feed off of fear and that's when they get you. Other than that I don't know much about them" I looked at the picture and blinked, all of a sudden it was a human shape then I blinked again and the image was gone '_This is why you need me'_ I looked at Twilight "can you still see the Slendermane?"

"Sure I can, why?"

"No reason"

She turned to me "you've been saying that a lot lately"

"Yeah, I guess I have"

She was just about to leave but then spoke "Wait! I just remembered your father had his own bedroom in here"

I looked around then asked "Where is it"

She pointed to a door, I nodded thanks to her and opened the door to find almost everything I had at home; a wardrobe, a toilet, a bed and best of all a shower. I smelt myself "God I stink"

* * *

><p>I hopped in the shower after a good few minutes I hopped out and dried myself off, looking through the drawers I came across some clothes that would fit me; a teal t-shirt, jeans and a light brown leather jacket. I put them on "perfect fit" I mumbled to myself, I walked back upstairs into the library<p>

"Oh no not that jacket"

I turned around and saw Rainbow kind of scared "What's wrong Dash?" I walked over to her

"I'm just remembering the first time I ate meat"

I got kind of exited "what was it?"

She gulped "Deer, but at the time the thought of devouring another animal was, incomprehensible and that jacket was made from that deer, that's why I don't like it"

I felt like I didn't wanna hurt her feelings "Should I take it off?" she suggestively raised her eyebrows "Ewww, Rainbow that's gross"

"What? It was a joke Vasili, you can wear clothes if you want to I won't stop you" she started to blush after she realised what she just said to me "That didn't come out right, I meant I won't tell you what to wear" I nodded at her offering a hug but she backed away "Is it stuffy in here, I think it's getting stuffy, see ya" with that she bolted away,

Applejack walked up to me "What was all tat bout?"

I shrugged "Rainbow was getting embarrassed around me so she left"

"Whaddya mean embarrassed?

"Well she started talking about me wearing clothes or not"

Applejack mumbled something that sounded like "Sexual tension"

I walked over to Twilight "Hey Twi?" she had her head buried in some research notes "I'm gonna head home, and see if I can pick up some of my old stuff"

She turned to me "No! You can't it's too dangerous today, wait a week or so" I knew I wouldn't win that argument so I went down to my room and did a little training.

* * *

><p>The days slowly passed until I was finally allowed to go home and collect a few things, I swung my machete around my hip and that was all I took apart from my dad's old duffle bag <em>'I <em>_**WILL**__**HAVE **__YOUR SOUL Vasili!' _called The Demon from inside my head, I pushed on towards home, imagining mum screaming in pain I shook my head, "No! That's just want it wants me to think". I grabbed the key from around my neck slipped it in the keyhole and twisted it, the lights were turned back on by someone, did someone break in?

I heard footsteps followed by three voices swearing at each other "Mistress he's inside"

"Well who the hell was supposed to be on guard?" I closed the door behind me and ran back to Twilights as quick as I could

"Vasili! What happened?" called Twilight

"Someone broke in" I replied catching my breath

"So you got scared and ran away?"

I grinned "Nope, I came to get my rifle" I reached around the door and pulled it out "See ya, be back soon" I started running home, I reached the door opened it again and saw some woman with long black hair and the same curls as my mother, she was cooking something special, I could tell by the smell "Bacon and eggs?" I mumbled out, she turned around and put the plate on the table, just like I said it was bacon and eggs. She turned around and I pulled my gun up to her

"Oli! Put your toy away at the table. Well go on then, eat your breakfast" I sat down and started to eat when it clicked, that was my aunt, Yuki, sitting across the table acting as my mother.

Just as I finished my breakfast a timer dinged "Ooh, the cake's done" she walked over to the oven and pulled out a freshly baked cake, she reverted to her old self with short hair "Happy twelfth birthday kiddo, I wish your mum and dad were here to see you, they'd be so proud" she turned around and punched a wall, she also started talking about how she should've been the one to die. I ran up to my room and grabbed some clothing and a portrait of the good times with Mum, me and sis.

* * *

><p>The weeks began to pass nearing the end of the year, I continued training in my dads' old room. Occasionally The Demon would try to take over but I knew I was stronger than it, better than it, smarter than it and everything rested on me knowing that I was gonna beat it. I made regular visits to Yuki so that once a month she'd check up on me and test my fighting, but one visit was a little different than the rest.<p> 


	17. Practice Make Perfect

I was looking around in my father's trophy room when I saw something called _'Dai Katana'_ it was a sword, a regular looking Katana but for one reason or another it had a grey blade and was missing its sheath. I manage to sneak it past the girls on my way out on the monthly visit to her, I walked around in the Ever-Free forest when a Royal ran past me, knowing my aunty could control them, they felt like a little less of a threat. I kept walking for a while when I heard the sound of a guitar and a voice "I have so many anchors, so many, so many, so many anchors" I stood there listen to my auntie sing "They're pulling me under and I just to be free" I looked up a tree as there she was, leaning against it sitting on a branch "What do you want kid?" she asked as she jumped down from the tree

"I wanted you to look at something" I took the sword out of the cloth that covered it

"You found it!" she squealed as hugged me and even lifted me off the ground "You found my sword. Thank you" I handed it to her and all she did was sheath it

"Aren't you gunna show me something with it?" I asked her

"No, it's too hard for me to use swords now. Too used to what I have now"

"Then why were you so excited to have it back?"

She sighed and took it out "It's sentimental to me, but if me showing you my swordsmanship is _THAT_ important to you" she pulled my rifle off my back and checked to see if it was loaded, she handed it back "Shoot me" she said as she held her sword braced for an impact

"What?!" I asked, was she serious? Did she really want me to shoot her?

"I said shoot me" I pulled the trigger and she flinched back a little, her eyes went wide

"Are you okay?" I asked as I rushed to her throwing my gun to the ground "I'm sorry!" her eyes went back to normal

"Just kidding with you" she said as she poked me in the stomach, tears started to form in my eyes "Aww...I'm sorry, lemme go get the bullet" she rushed to one tree then the other,

She pulled my hands out and dropped two halves of the same bullet in them "You cut it in half? That's it?" she flipped it around to show the finely made engravings "How? What? That doesn't even—"

She smiled as she put her sword away "I'm a little rusty although that was just something you show off" she pulled her scythe out of the ground and came charging at me with it but all of a sudden she vanished, I slashed my trench knife to downwards diagonally to the left and the knife turned into a fine wire surrounding me, there was a ting sort of noise, I looked behind me to see Yuki's scythe caught in the wire, she threw her sai blade at me and relaxed "Don't expect your opponent to play fairly" she did some kind of quickstep away which took her scythe and sai with her. She was behind me swinging her scythe but I ducked it and started swinging my fists and feet at her face and body, but she dodged them all and then I stopped "Aww, we were having fun...oh well" she came charging at me, as if to end my life but something cut her throat a little "Ooh, what have we got here?" she ran her finger along a wire which made it bleed

"I slowly caught you in a spider web and if you move in any direction it will cut you to pieces" I explained to her

"Impressive" she complimented,

I grabbed the knife "tame" I said and the wires coming from the retracted and reformed into a blade,

Yuki grabbed my attention "Hey Oli?"

"Yeah, what is it aunt Yuki?" she gave herself a relaxed, almost childish posture

"Don't say aunt, it makes me feel old" she said the way a child would "anyway, if you ever need or want to, you can sleep at my place. I wanted to take you there today anyway" I nodded and we left for her home.

* * *

><p>We got there, nothing special just a plain old wooden home "Here we are" she said "The best house in all Equestria"<p>

I couldn't believe it, it was so small "That's it?"

She spoke to me "Don't be quick to judge. It could lead to your death"

I thought about it for a second "You have an elaborate set-up of traps?"

"No. That would just be stupid. What if I accidently set one off?" she said. We went inside there was: a single bed, a kitchen, a table, basically any essentials, and there was also a trap door.

"Where's the door lead to?" I asked,

She smiled "Mostly everyone that comes here notices that I wrote every swear word on the fridge with magnets, but you noticed the door. Very observant" she opened up the trap door "Come on" I went down and saw complete blackness, my aunt flipped a switch and the room lit up with thousands of lights, she looked at me "Vasili, I want you to go grab your clothes and bring them here, you'll be here a while" I nodded and ran back and grabbed my clothes in a bag.

* * *

><p>Twilight stopped me at the door "What are you doing Vasili?" she asked me "Where are you going?" she was obviously concerned<p>

"I'm going to get revenge on the Manticore who killed my mother" I lied to her

"Why does revenge on this thing mean so much to you?" she asked

"I TOLD YOU! IT KILL MY MUM, IT NEEDS TO DIE" I said quite teary in my eyes, I was pretty good at acting

"Alright, as soon as you do that you need to come back right away" I nodded in understanding looking very sad and angry while on the inside I was cheering in my victory.


	18. Mentally Challenged (Finale)

I ran my way to my aunt's house with my clothes but before I jumped down to where she would train me, I looked at the fridge, there were really vulgar words, a few I didn't even understand. I jumped downstairs into the room where Yuki told me to meet her, "Good to see you made it Vasili" I heard her say from behind I ducked and unexpectedly she had an unsheathed sword, the one I found "Vasili, have I told you what makes this sword special?"

I was still shocked that she could have killed me "No" I just made out

"It can't cut through any material...except for flesh, and it cuts it like a knife through hot butter" she threw a wooden sword at me "You use that, and I use this sword"

I kicked my bag to the side "So are you going to teach me a technique?" she took the band out of her short hair which made it a ponytail, then it fell, "Well, are you?"

Her face had gone stone dead "No, I'm not. I'm going to kill you, unless you can cut me with that sword"

I shouted at her "THAT'S FUCKING INSANE"

She took a deep breath out "If you don't cut me, then I'll kill you and Equestria will fall, however if you do manage to cut me then you can leave. Do you see now WHY you can't let The Demon win? Can you understand how high the consequences to your actions are?" I stopped, thinking about how I have the power to save the world, I was Equestria's life support

"Yeah" I picked up the sword "So, if that's the way it is. COME AT ME YUKI!"

She breathed out and pointed her sword towards me "I've been waiting for you to say that for quite a while" she opened her purple eyes "I'm not gonna go easy on you" she came running at me, I lifted the sword to block it. There was already a cut on my back and Yuki was nowhere in sight "I said I'm not going to go easy on you, and that includes going at human speeds" I grabbed one of my shirts and tore it up to bandage my cuts, at that moment I passed out and was back in Nightmare State.

* * *

><p>Nightmare State doesn't change much at all, a man stood on the opposite side of the room as me "<strong>I will devour you, you insignificant pest<strong>" this was The Demon, he put his arm out and smoke rose from the ground and once the smoke passed he had a rapier "**DIE!**" I still had the wooden sword, I put it flat as The Demon came charging at me, there was a slight crack noise and suddenly we were sword against sword "**Your mother is dead because of you**" he filled me with so much rage, I lifted a foot and kicked him back and he smashed into the wall

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" rage surged through my veins

Within the blink of an eye he had slashed across my stomach "**You are worthless, you are pathetic, you deserve nothing you have**" I pulled myself up, I HAD to endure pain to beat him

"You don't know anything about me, you sick, twisted, sadistic MONSTER!" I screamed trying his tactics to make him angry and mess him up,

He just laughed "**Guilty, as charged**" his long black hair and white trench were completely unmarked

"Nobody could ever love you, it must feel bad being you the piece of shit you are" he took one step then our swords connected again, face to face, but I noticed that his eyes were shut and thought how could he connect blades if he can't see.

All of a sudden The Demon, opened his eyes and pushed his sword harder "**FUCK YOU CHILD! YOU DESERVE IMPALEMENT**" he kept on pushing with one hand, after a while it cut the sword clean apart. "**I think I'll pierce your heart first**" he laughed, his spare hand made a sort of dive shape, it pierced my chest with great speed

"AAARRRRRGH" I screamed out in pain, but nobody would come to my rescue, I gripped his arm with one hand and the other held onto the sword which I lifted up and stabbed him in the face, he dropped me and we both passed out.

* * *

><p>All of a sudden Yuki was in front of me again, I was out of Nightmare State, she was on her knees with her arm across her stomach, she was bleeding, she looked up at me "Congrats kid" she said before passing out, I ran over to my bag and grabbed a bunch of shirts which I tore apart and wrapped around my aunt like bandages.<p>

* * *

><p>It was about two weeks until Yuki woke up, but I stayed with the closest family I had left, near the end of the second week I started to loose faith that she's ever wake up again <em>'Would that make her like me?'<em> one of the Royals broke inside, I grabbed her katana and as I was about to swing it I felt a hand on my wrist "He came to see if I was alright, and you take a sword against him?" it felt like she was cross with me, then I heard a laugh, it reminded me slightly of my mother, it gave me a reason to fight. I picked up my stuff and left "Hey, where are you going?" Yuki asked me before I got too far,

I looked back and smiled "You don't believe they survive without me, do you?"

She laughed back "You'd be surprised what those girls could do" waved goodbye to my aunt and went back to the library.

* * *

><p>I knocked at the door, no response, I looked through the window and saw maggots crawl inside of the dead bodies of everyone I protected "STOP LYING TO ME!" I screamed, I opened the door and instantly was tackled by Dash, she began smothering me in kisses "Yuck" I said as she hit the side of my lips, I rubbed the germs off<p>

"I'm glad to see you again Vasili"

I ruffed up her mane "I'm glad to see you too Dash" as I walked inside everypony looked older, Twilight's hair was scruffier, AJ's hat was quite a bit more tattered, Rarity's glasses were held together by tape, Pinkie was just a little bit fatter, Fluttershy mane was wilder, and Dash's mane had streaks of grey in it.

"You're back!" exclaimed the purple pony,

I grinned and replied "I said I'd be back" I nearly choked at my own stench "I'm gonna take a quick shower" I ran downstairs to my dad's room and took a shower. After finishing up I looked through the wardrobe for clothes, a white shirt and denim jeans "Is that all he wore?" I asked no one in particular,

"Yeah, pretty much" I heard from behind, I stumbled back as I saw Rainbow looking at me "Except his shirts were teal" I stared at her eyes, they weren't looking at me, but they were looking at the room "I never liked him, well not until it was too late"

I put my clothes on "What do you mean?"

She looked over to the big sword I wasn't allowed to touch "I used to have this kid, I was her idol, everything I was, she wanted to be" her eyes closed "But then once she got her cutie mark" her eyes opened with tears pouring out "She was attacked, your father protected Scoot with his life. He held back so many zombie ponies, he crushed her attacker, but we were losing. The Elements of Harmony had to be used, the Elements were failing, so your father sacrificed himself in order to help us win" she wiped away her tears "I never told him how much I appreciated what he did, it took me until then to realise. As you know, Scoots didn't make it" I took her into my arms as she cried.

* * *

><p>The year was coming to a close, but unfortunately for me things were just getting started. Unfortunately for those things, so was I.<p> 


End file.
